The Man In The Lecture Hall
by LolaLoo
Summary: Following a tough case, Brennan, Booth & the gang head to Quantico for a weekend's training only to find it's hard to escape your past.[BB] Please R&R! NOW FINISHED! You know you wanna read it... Come on punk, make my day!
1. One Day

**DISCLAIMER: Surprise surprise, I don't own Bones. Give me time, just give me time…**

**A/N: I wrote two companion pieces ('One Day' and 'One Day More') a few weeks ago showing the two different sides of a conversation between Brennan and Booth. Thanks to a lot of support and encouragement, I decided to extend them into this longer story. As such, you might recognise the beginning. Oh, and please please please review! Yes, I'm desperate for your praise and criticisms…**

**My biggest thanks goes to Ava as ever, my super cheerleading muse.**

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Seeley Booth collapsed on to the sofa, utterly exhausted. The last few days had drained him both physically and emotionally. Cases with kids always did. It had taken its toll on Brennan too. 

He had watched her, examining the bones of yet another little child they were too late to save, seen the sadness in her eyes, the inability to comprehend how someone could do something like this to someone so innocent. All he had wanted to do was wrap his arms around her and protect her from all the evil in the world. Not that she'd ever let him.

Instead, he had found himself wrapping his arms around that terrified little girl, her dress covered in blood and tears. Thanks to Bones, they had found where he was keeping them. They'd got there in time and that tiny blonde bloody mess had clutched at him, desperate for help, desperate for comfort. Looking at Bones, he had seen the same look in her eyes. She needed help, she needed comfort. But she never seemed to need him.

Booth reached for the beer on the table beside him, taking long hungry gulps until the bottle was half gone and he gasped for air. He wanted to wash away the memories of this last case, just like he wished he could forget the details of so many others. Over time the names faded but never the faces. Wherever he went, whatever case he was dealt, those faces went with him. And he knew it was the same for Temperance.

He closed his eyes and let his head sink into the cushions. At least this case was done. He wondered how Bones was doing. Without bothering to open his eyes, he dug his cell phone out of the front pocket of his jeans and flicked it open, his thumb hovering over her speed dial button, number one. He paused, looking down at the phone. Maybe he shouldn't call.

When he had given her a lift home from the Jeffersonian, she had just stared out of the window, deep in thought. It hadn't been an awkward silence, it never was with them. He knew she was upset so he'd walked her to her door. She'd opened it and looked back at him, those intelligent eyes so full of pain.

He had wiped a tear away from her cheek, somewhat surprised that she had let him.

"Do you want some company?"

She smiled but it hadn't reached her eyes.

"No, it's ok. I think I'm just going to go straight to bed."

He had smiled as broadly as he could and turned back down the corridor.

"Seeley?"

Turning to face her, he felt his heart skip a beat. It always did when she used his first name.

"Yes Temperance?"

She seemed to soften when he returned the favour, her voice quieter.

"Thank you."

And with that, she had closed the door and he'd ended up here with just a beer for company.

He snapped the phone shut and dropped it on the table, downing the rest of his Budweiser. Leaning his head back and staring at the ceiling, he cradled the empty bottle to his chest.

Booth sighed and let his eyes gradually close. He couldn't help but think of Brennan. She had changed so much since they had started working together, since they had become partners. Booth had to admit, he'd more than once considered them being more than just work partners.

She was so totally different to the other women who had come in and out of his life. For a start, she wasn't blonde. She challenged him more than anyone else, refusing to automatically go with his gut instincts and instead methodically investigating each logical solution. Sometimes it drove him mad but now he realised it was just the way they worked, the ying to his yang.

The main difference between Bones and all the other women was that he trusted Brennan more than anyone else in the world. He trusted her with his life. And he knew she trusted him the same way. The way she looked at him, the gentle touch of her hand, they told him that. Sometimes he wished they would tell him something more.

Angela was always dropping barely concealed hints about the sexual tension between them. He and Brennan had even once agreed that they were somewhere between friends and lovers. He just wished he knew where that somewhere was.

Looking back, Booth tried to remember all the times he had battled the urge to kiss her, to tell her that being friends just wasn't enough anymore. He quickly lost count. He wasn't ready to face that fight. There was too much to lose.

He clambered off the couch, stretching his aching muscles as he padded over to the kitchen. Dropping the empty bottle in the trash, he poured himself a glass of water, grabbed his cell phone off the table and headed for the bedroom. He stripped off quickly, leaving just his boxers, too tired to bother with his pyjamas

Sliding between the sheets, Booth felt a tired sigh escape his lips. He couldn't get Brennan out of his head. Slowly, he began to drift off to sleep, escaping in to a world where he wasn't too pragmatic to tell her how he felt.

The shrill ring of his cell phone pulled him sharply out of his dreams. Fumbling for the phone, he flicked it open without checking the caller ID, his voice thick with sleep.

"Booth."

There was a pause at the other end and then Brennan's voice washed over him, bringing him fully back into the land of the living.

"Oh god, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."

"No, no Brennan, it's fine. I've literally just got into bed. Just been a long couple of days."

She sighed heavily and he knew she'd been crying.

"How could anyone do that, Seeley? What kind of psychology is that, to hurt a child, let alone four? All because they smiled at him?"

Booth knew she didn't really expect an answer but he tried to find her one anyway.

"He was a sick and twisted man, Temperance, just evil. No two ways about it. But he'll get what he deserves behind bars."

"But what if he doesn't go to prison? What if there's some stupid technicality and they let him go?"

He winced at the desperation in her voice, the fear. All the martial arts and weapons training in the world can't protect you from the fears that creep up on you in the night.

"They won't let him go, Bones. The evidence is overwhelming. You saw to that. You always do."

He didn't try to hide the pride and admiration in his voice. He wanted her to hear it.

"Don't call me Bones."

It was more an automatic response than a real admonishment, especially as he could hear a slight smile in her tone.

"We stopped him, Temperance. He won't be seeing the outside of a jail cell for a very long time. We stopped him."

She sighed, though this time from exhaustion.

"Yes, _we_ did Seeley."

He smiled, feeling his heart beat a little faster.

"You ok?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I know you're right, I just needed…"

She sighed again and he could almost see her sitting there in the dark, shaking her head as she paused.

"You're always so nice to me, Booth. I'm sorry I don't always return the favour."

"You do it often enough and always when I need it. That's more than enough for me."

"Thank you, Booth. Guess I should let you get some sleep now. It's pretty late."

He smiled into the handset.

"Don't worry, Bones. Pick you up for breakfast around eight?"

She laughed. He loved that sound.

"As long as you're buying."

"Sure. Sleep well, Bones."

"Same to you, Booth."

The line went silent and he closed the phone, chucking it back on to his nightstand as he rolled over. Closing his eyes, he couldn't keep the smile off his face.

Drifting off to sleep, Booth swore to himself that one day he would finally find the courage to tell the woman of his dreams how he really felt.

One day, he'd tell her he loved her.

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Doctor Temperance Brennan was stood in the centre of her office, staring into space as she clutched a stack of files to her chest. Her whole body seemed heavy and every movement laboured, almost as if she was stuck in a huge vat of syrup. She hated being this tired. It restricted her.

A purposeful cough from the doorway snapped her back to reality. She turned, finding her partner, Seeley Booth, leaning against the frame. He looked so casual, an air of nonchalance about him, but she knew better. Their latest case had drained him and it got to her too.

He smiled at her, full of charm but with a genuine look of concern in his eyes.

"Hey. You ok?"

Brennan smiled back, though she knew he wasn't buying it. She crossed over to her desk, sorting through her files and pretending she couldn't feel his gaze on her back.

"Temperance?"

She felt a shiver run down her spine when he used her first name, same as it always did. She cursed him for his charm and his soothing manner and his kind words.

Steeling herself, Brennan swallowed hard as she turned to face him, surprised to find him standing so close. She could smell the familiar aftershave and, despite everything that had happened over the past few days and against all her better judgement, she felt comforted. _Too_ comforted.

She smiled briskly.

"You ready to go?"

Booth nodded, that look of concern never leaving his eyes. She gathered her things and he stepped out of her way, his hand on the small of her back as he guided her out the door. No pressure, just chivalry. Brennan sighed to herself. _Same as always._

Walking through the lab, Brennan glanced up at the forensics area and her stomach flipped. For days she had stood there examining the bones of those four little girls, trying to figure out how and why someone could ever do that.

In the end, they caught him. They were just in time to save Jessica Billows, a six year old blonde who had flung her arms around Booth's neck and refused to let go. She had cried and screamed into his chest, her tiny hands slick with blood and leaving imprints on Seeley's shoulders. He just held her, rocking her slightly, whispering reassurances as they waited for her parents, his eyes swimming with tears.

They had caught the guy but she still didn't understand. What had that little girl, all those little girls, ever done to him? She hated psychology, considering it a soft science, but the more she saw working with Booth, the more often she caught herself asking why.

The gentle touch of his hand on her back kept her moving. She glanced at his profile.

Brennan could not deny that he was handsome as she recalled every detail of the architecture of his face without even looking. But he was her partner. They were colleagues who had grown to become friends, but that was as far as their relationship went. That was as far as she'd let it.

Clambering in to Booth's SUV, she settled herself in to the passenger seat and stared out of the window. She did not see the city racing by, didn't feel the chill of the night air. She left the vehicle almost in a daze, her feet carrying her home without her even thinking about it.

Brennan could feel Booth's presence beside her. He was always beside her. She sighed heavily, turning her tired eyes to her partner as she opened the door and stood on the threshold.

He reached out to her then and her heart skipped a beat as she felt the warmth of his hand against her cheek. It was only when he withdrew that she realised he'd been wiping away a tear. She turned away, embarrassed, wishing she had the strength to let him be there to wipe away all her tears. She rolled her eyes to herself at the sentiment.

"Do you want some company?"

Her cheeks burning, she attempted a feeble smile to fend off any more tears.

"No, it's ok. I think I'm just going to go straight to bed."

Brennan cursed herself for her automatic response, another part of the walls she had built around herself. While it was true she desperately needed sleep, she needed company more.

And then he smiled at her, that broad caring smile, and she hated the fact she needed him. And she hated the fact that even now she was holding him at a distance. She felt his name rising in her throat, felt the urge to pull him close and let him hold her, let him protect her.

But then he turned away and the spell was broken.

"Seeley?"

That voice wasn't hers. It was small and fragile. She bit her tongue. He turned to face her.

"Yes Temperance?"

She didn't know what to say. He so rarely called her by her first name, nor she his. She sighed.

"Thank you."

All Brennan could ever say was in those two little words. She closed the door almost immediately, not wanting to see the look on his face. She heard his footsteps get quieter, the roar of an engine in the night. Only when she was sure he was gone did she let herself cry.

She sank to the floor, still at her front door. Those little girls. Those poor little girls. She couldn't save them, just like she could never save her mother. Even Booth couldn't save them, even though he always managed to rescue her. She shook her head fervently, trying to rid herself of these irrational thoughts and the image of the tiny red handprints over Booth's shoulders.

First and foremost, she was a scientist. She had to stick to the facts and cold hard truths or her whole world would fall apart. Brennan scrambled to her feet and marched in to the kitchen.

Brennan's hand hovered over the fridge handle and she told herself off for another irrational fear. Even so, it wasn't until she'd removed the beer and closed the fridge door again that her muscles relaxed.

Knocking back a long hard swig of alcohol, she settled herself on the couch, her legs wrapped beneath her. She picked the label off the bottle absentmindedly, staring at nothing.

In her mind's eye though, she was looking down at the examination table, conducting a closer inspection of the little girl's remains. The bizarre markings on her bones, the radial fracture of the wrists, the broken fingers. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that she had been tortured. Zach had concurred with her findings and she'd noted more things down in her report.

But then Brennan had looked at Booth. He'd been listening to her findings, watching her intently as he always did when she worked. She used to hate the way he did that but things had changed. A lot of things had changed.

Looking at Booth, she had seen the horror in his pallid face, the anger and frustration in his eyes. She had always been the brain and he'd been the heart, but seeing his anguish…

She had swallowed hard, allowing her brain to process that the tiny pile of bones between them was once that little girl Angela had created, all blonde pigtails, dimples and floaty pink dress.

Brennan had returned her gaze to Booth then, praying he wasn't seeing Parker on that table, and her heart had broken a little.

Blinking hard, Brennan focused on her living room. Her barely drunk beer stood forgotten on the table and she realised she'd been sitting there for almost an hour. She had to go to bed.

She padded into the bedroom, pulled on her sweats and collapsed on to the sheets, letting the darkness envelop her. She wished Booth was with her. She caught herself in that thought and found herself analysing it.

Why did she want Booth there? She hadn't thought about him in a sexual sense. It was just he was always there for her, and now she realised she wanted to be there for him. If she was taking the case this hard, what was it doing to him? He was the one who connected, not her.

Brennan's eyes wouldn't close, too many dreadful possibilities racing through her tired brain. After ten minutes of staring at the ceiling, she grabbed her cell phone and pressed the first button, Booth's speed dial.

A groggy voice sounded over the line.

"Booth."

She paused, realising how late it was.

"Oh god, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."

"No, no Brennan, it's fine. I've literally just got into bed. Just been a long couple of days."

She heard the pain in his voice and sighed heavily, letting herself voice her fears, hoping it would help him deal with his.

"How can anyone do that, Seeley? What kind of psychology is that, to hurt a child, let alone four? All because they smiled at him?"

Brennan didn't really expect an answer but she knew he would try.

"He was a sick and twisted man, Temperance, just evil. No two ways about it. But he'll get what he deserves behind bars."

Her logic and reasoning deserted her as soon as he tried to console her, her trust in him overwhelming.

"But what if he doesn't go to prison? What if there's some stupid technicality and they let him go?"

"They won't let him go, Bones. The evidence is overwhelming. You saw to that. You always do."

She heard the pride and admiration in his voice and felt herself blush a little, a smile creeping across her lips.

"Don't call me Bones."

"We stopped him, Temperance. He won't be seeing the outside of a jail cell anytime soon. We stopped him."

The tiredness was beginning to catch up with her and she sighed, hoping he could hear her own pride in her tone.

"Yes, _we_ did Seeley."

She could hear him smiling as he replied.

"You ok?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I know you're right, I just needed…"

She tailed off, shaking her head in the dark.

_I just needed to hear your voice. I just needed to know you were ok so that I could be ok. I just needed you._

She swallowed hard.

"You're always so nice to me, Booth. I'm sorry I don't always return the favour."

"You do it often enough and always when I need it. That's more than enough for me."

Brennan smiled to herself.

"Thank you Booth. I guess I should let you get some sleep now. It's pretty late."

She heard him smile back.

"Don't worry Bones. Pick you up for breakfast around eight?"

She laughed, feeling her worries fading away as her normal routine came back into focus.

"As long as you're buying."

"Sure. Sleep well Bones."

"Same to you, Booth."

She closed the phone, staring at it for a moment before putting it back on the nightstand. Sliding back under the covers, Brennan smiled to herself as she finally managed to close her eyes and felt sleep taking over.

Maybe tomorrow she'd tell him. Maybe tomorrow he'd realise just how much she needed him. One day he'd finally break down all her defences and she'd tell him that she finally knew what love is, because he'd shown her.

One day.


	2. Eggs And A Big Mistake

**A/N: Had a little trouble with this chapter. Please review and let me know what you think. If you do, there might just be a beautiful new convertible in it for you... I said _might_...**

**Trust me, the next chapter's a lot, lot better!**

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Booth slid on to the stool and leaned his elbows on either side of the menu lying on the diner's bar. He flashed his charm smile at the waitress and tried to ignore Brennan's inquisitive stare. 

"You'll have to answer me eventually."

He dropped his hands and looked at his partner, one eyebrow raised.

"No, I really don't. I could ignore you forever if I have to."

"I'd like to see you try…"

The pair of them ordered their breakfast. Brennan noticed the flush across the waitress's cheeks as she smiled shyly at Booth. He smiled back, flirting slightly with the young woman. Brennan just rolled her eyes.

"You promised to pay for breakfast so don't try and get out of it by getting the waitress to give it to you on the house. It's not fair. And you still haven't answered my question."

Booth shook his head, wagging an accusatory finger at her.

"It _is_ fair. Women flirt and men clamber all over themselves to do what they want them to. Why can't it just be a friendly smile? And I have no idea what your question even was anymore."

She knew he was lying, just playing for time, and she regretted ever asking the question in the first place. Not that she could back down now. She was worried about him. She always worried about him. That's what partners were for.

Brennan took her coffee from the waitress and watched with slight disbelief as Booth poured a seemingly endless stream of sugar into his own drink. He was an incredibly healthy man, obviously believed in taking care of himself and working out, but he couldn't drink coffee without it containing a mountain of calories.

She sighed and asked again.

"Last night, when you got home, were you tempted to… Did you want to gamble?"

Booth stirred his coffee absently, purposefully not looking at his partner.

"You know why I didn't want to answer that?"

Brennan said nothing, knowing it was rhetorical. He sighed and continued.

"Because that's not the question you really wanted to ask me. You're asking if I _did_ gamble, not if I wanted to."

"Ok, then did you?"

He looked her square in the eye.

"No. And you know I didn't."

Her smile was tight as she nodded.

"But I also know you were tempted."

"After a case like that, of course I was. I always am. I want that rush, the euphoria of it all, to wash away that dirty feeling and make me feel like I'm... Like I'm something better than what I am. Instead, I went home, had a beer, talked to you and went to sleep. I can't deny I have an addiction, Bones, but I'm fighting it."

He bit his tongue to stop himself from finishing the sentence the way he really wanted to.

_Because of you, I'm fighting it. Because of you, I'm trying to be a better man._

She seemed to relax in front of his very eyes, her worries lifted.

"I know and I'm sorry if it sounded like I doubted you. I just wanted you to know that I was aware that there was a problem and that I'm here if you want to talk about it."

He took a long sip of coffee, feeling the heat burning in his chest and pretended it was just from his drink.

"I know you are. There's no need to apologise."

The waitress returned with their orders, cornflakes for Brennan and a mountain of sausages, bacon and eggs for Booth. He grinned at the waitress and winked, laughing as she hurried away with a girly giggle. He turned back to Brennan, still grinning.

"See, eggs and a smile. What more could you want?"

She rolled her eyes and picked up a spoon. About to start on her cereal, the cell phone distracted her.

"Doctor Brennan."

Booth couldn't hear what was being said on the other end of the line but he didn't really care. He knew she'd tell him anyway.

"That's perfectly acceptable. Have arrangements been made for rooms for the whole team?"

Booth frowned.

_Rooms for the whole team? Where were they going? Wasn't he basically part of her team?_

"Yes, I'll see you tomorrow. Thank you very much."

She hung up the phone and returned to her cornflakes, eventually bowing under the weight of Booth's stare.

"What?"

"Rooms for the whole team?"

"Yes, at Quantico."

"Quantico, Virginia? As in the FBI Academy?"

"Yes."

He looked at her, a mixture of confusion and exasperation playing across his features.

"Bones, just because you say it in that definitive tone doesn't mean it means anything to me."

She laid down her spoon with a sigh.

"I told you about this about a month ago."

"Well, let's just skip ahead to the you-reminding-me-about-it part then."

"Fine. What with all the work the Jeffersonian's Medico-Legal Lab are conducting for the FBI, it was decided that it would be a good idea for the team to receive some federal style training. They're sending us to Quantico so that Hodgins and Zack can look around the Forensic Science Research and Training Centre, Angela can show the engineers some of her holographic technology and I'm conducting a seminar on the basic anthropological markers of ethnic groupings."

Booth just blinked slowly and shook his head.

"The squint squad on vacation, huh?"

"I'd hardly call it a vacation. We'll all be there to work."

Booth grinned as he shovelled a giant forkful of scrambled eggs in to his mouth.

"Admit it Bones, you're just going in the hopes they'll let you shoot something."

She smiled back over the rim of her coffee cup, putting on an air of innocence.

"Well, if _someone_ would just let me have a gun in the first place…"

"It's not my fault if you've been charged with a felony."

Her jaw dropped and she punched him in the arm.

"Yes it is! You were the one that charged me!"

Booth found himself laughing with his partner. It was a welcome return after the trauma of the last few days. He just hoped it would last.

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Arriving at the lab, Cam was waiting with the Federal Prosecutor. Booth felt his good mood quickly beginning to fade.

Entering Brennan's office, he stood beside Bones on one side of the desk, facing down Cam and the lawyer. He knew his ex noticed the division and the side he had automatically chosen but she didn't question it. She never did. Not even when he turned up on her doorstep in the middle of the night. She never questioned it.

The prosecutor dropped the enormous file on to Brennan's desk. She didn't need to pick it up. The sinking feeling in her stomach confirmed her fears.

"He's going to get away with it, isn't he? He killed four little girls, tortured and abused them, and he's going to get away with it."

The lawyer sighed heavily.

"Not exactly."

Booth shook his head in disbelief.

"And what the hell's that supposed to mean?"

"He's offering a deal. Instead of the death penalty, he wants life with the possibility of parole in return for him telling us where his other victims are."

Brennan's eyes widened.

"There are more?"

"At least fifteen from over the past ten years."

Brennan sunk in to her chair, even Booth's usually comforting presence beside her doing little to help. Cam watched her with a sympathetic eye before turning her gaze on to Booth who stared back, his eyes cold.

"What do you think? I mean, with the forensic evidence that we have now, would we be able to find these other girls?"

Booth looked at his partner, expecting an answer. She was just staring in to space. He crouched down beside her, his voice soft.

"Bones? Could we find them without his help?"

She shook her head.

"No, I don't think so. I can get the team to re-examine the evidence and see if anything sticks out but I don't think we can."

The prosecutor nodded.

"You have until the end of today then I'm taking the deal."

She moved to leave the office but Booth blocked her way.

"You're going to give him the chance of parole? Give him the chance to get out and do this all over again?"

"Agent Booth, his parole is only a possibility. The likelihood is he'll spend the rest of his life behind bars."

He sighed heavily as she moved past him, Cam close behind, pausing at his side.

"We need to find them, Seeley. We need to give their family answers and the chance at some peace."

She directed her last words at Brennan who just nodded back mutely. Booth just watched her go before turning back to his partner.

"You ok, Bones?"

She smiled tightly.

"I will be. At least he's not getting out altogether. He's still going to be in prison and Cam's right, the other families will have the answers they've been waiting years to get. That's just going to have to be good enough, isn't it?"

She rose to her feet, pulling on her lab coat and gathering up the file. Booth just shook his head.

"That shouldn't be good enough. The things he's done…"

Brennan laid a gentle hand on his forearm, her stomach sinking at the despair in his eyes.

"Yes, but we have to find those girls. We'll do what we can, Seeley. We always do."

She left him there, scared what else she might say to comfort him, and approached the forensics level where the rest of the group were milling around and joking amongst themselves.

Booth just watched her go, his fists still clenched. His frustration clawing at him, he marched through the lab towards Cam's office. Kicking the door closed hard behind him, he slammed his hands down on the desk.

"How can you go along with this? That man deserves to die."

Cam stood up slowly, her eyes full of sympathy as she approached him.

"Seeley, I understand what you're feeling but - "

He cut her off, turning on her with eyes that flashed with rage.

"No, Cam, you don't understand. You weren't there. You didn't see what he did to her, you didn't hold her in your arms, you didn't see…"

He tailed off, his anger subsiding as she took his balled fist in her hand and untangled his fingers, giving them a reassuring squeeze. He raised his eyes to hers, his heart beating rapidly.

Grabbing the tops of her arms, he yanked her forward, pulling her mouth to his own. She didn't resist, she didn't question it. She knew what he needed.

Pushing her backwards against the wall, his kiss became more frantic, more urgent, more desperate. In return, her kiss was hard and forceful, betraying the intense passion she still held after all those years without him.

With her legs clamped around his waist, he moved away from the wall, still lost in her embrace as he swept a powerful arm across her desk, swiping it clean in one easy movement. He threw her down hard and she gasped. He didn't feel any guilt about it, she'd always liked it a little rough and today that was how he felt.

His hands fumbled across her shirt buttons as her fingers scrambled with his belt buckle. Their kisses became more frantic, his desperation for comfort, for reassurance, driving them on.

It took him a while to notice that his cell phone was ringing. Slowly, he pulled away, his face still only inches from hers. She offered him a sheepish smile.

"You'd better get that."

Booth nodded, moving off from on top of her and crossing to his jacket that lay crumpled on the floor. He looked around the office and sighed. This had been a very bad idea.

Flicking open the phone, he watched as Cam began to rescue her belongings from their scattered positions on the floor while buttoning up her shirt. He took a deep breath and barked in to the handset.

"Booth."

There was a long pause on the other end before it was replaced by a familiar deep voice.

"Agent Booth, I'm not sure if you'll remember me. This is Nathaniel Rouse."

"Of course I remember you sir. You never forget your favourite teachers."

Wood laughed at the other end of the line.

"Nor do you forget your favourite students. And please, don't call me Sir. It's Nate."

"I'll do my best, Sir. Can you just hang on for one second?"

"Of course, Seeley."

Booth glanced at Cam rearranging things on her desk. She smiled at him and nodded, giving her silent approval for him to leave. He slipped out in to the corridor and fell back against the wall with his eyes closed, letting a long sigh escape him.

He put the phone back to his ear and tried to force a smile on his lips.

"Sorry about that sir. Anyway, what can I do for you?"

There was a deep chuckle on the other end.

"You're really never going to be able to call me anything other than sir, are you?"

Booth's smile spread slowly.

"I don't think so, no."

"You damn army boys and your discipline. Anyway, the reason I called is that I hear you're partnered up with that bone lady who writes the books, Doctor Brennan is it?"

"Yeah, that's right. I'm sorry sir, do you have a case you want her to look at because I thought you were still teaching at the Academy."

"That I am, son. But I know she's heading up here tomorrow for a few seminars and I just wanted to check that you were coming too. Thought we might grab a beer or something and reminisce, make me feel young again."

Booth paused, his brow furrowed as he frowned.

"Well, actually sir, I don't think I've exactly been invited. As far as I know, I'm staying in DC."

His former teacher tutted down the phone.

"Well, that just won't do! Someone's going to have play interference between the Feds and the squint squad, and it might as well be you. I'm sure you've had plenty of practice in that area. Who's your boss these days?"

"Special Agent Cullen."

"Tell him that you think it would be a good idea for you to go, an opportunity to brush up on your training and forensic techniques with the squints. If he gives you any hassle, let me know and I'll get on it. He owes me a favour or two."

Booth ran a tired hand through his hair. He wasn't sure if he wanted to go. The idea of trailing round Quantico after a bunch of geeks wasn't his idea of a good time, even if it was with Bones. That said, after this case, the change of scenery might do him good. He nodded decisively.

"Then I guess I'll be seeing you tomorrow, Nate."

"By Jove, he did it! I'll have a beer waiting for you, Seeley."

Shaking his head in slight disbelief, Booth rearranged his clothing and with a furtive glance back towards Cam's office, he headed off to tell Bones.

Seeing her bent over a microscope, he wandered up behind her.

"Good news."

She jumped about a foot in the air before turning and glaring at him.

"You scared me!"

He shrugged and flashed her his broadest smile. She just shook her head, smiling slightly.

"Fine, the charm smile still works. What's the good news?"

"I'm coming to Quantico with you."

She frowned at him suspiciously. Not quite the response he was hoping for.

"Why?"

"Because my old teacher called and this is the perfect excuse for us to meet up for a drink. Plus, I really want to hear your lecture on anthropological markings on pigs or whatever the hell it was."

She rolled her eyes as she returned her attention to the microscope.

"You just want to stop me getting to shoot things."

"Well, there's that too…"

He grinned at her as he slumped in to the chair next to her, his smile quickly fading when he realised what she was working on. He felt his anger begin to rise again and he balled his fists under the table.

"Any progress?"

She shook her head absently, still staring down at the evidence in front of her.

"Not at the moment. Zack, Hodgins and Angela are all still going over everything we've got and hoping we missed something. To be honest, Booth, I think the prosecutor's just got to take the deal."

He nodded slowly, his jaw tight.

"I know. I just… It feels like he played us, like he won."

She smiled at him.

"Except he's the one behind bars. And if he ever gets a parole hearing, we'll be there to tell the board to let him rot in that cell."

Their eyes locked and Booth felt a surge of guilt for what he'd nearly done with Cam yet again. He couldn't deny the fact that he wanted Cam, there was something about her that just pulled at him, but she wasn't the one he needed.

The only woman he needed was the one standing right in front of him. His friend, his partner, his colleague. And that was all. He got to his feet quickly, not wanting to dwell on what he was thinking.

"Well, I've got to go back to the office, clear a few things with Cullen before I get packed. Want me to drive you to Quantico in the morning?"

She considered it for a moment.

"Your car would be a better option seeing as you're going to have to drive me, Zack, Angela and Hodgins. There's hardly room in my convertible."

Booth's eyes widened.

"All of them? I have to drive _all_ of them?"

She nodded, trying to keep the amusement off her face. He shook his head in disbelief.

"Well, just make sure that Zack doesn't talk to me. If he starts reciting a load of nerdy statistics about the history of Quantico all the way, I might just have to shoot him."

"And they tell me I'm the one who shouldn't have a gun…"

He wandered off, wondering if it really was worth an hour stuck in the car with the squint squad just to get away from the city and this case. Glancing over his shoulder at Brennan, a few tendrils of auburn hair falling across her face as she stared down the microscope, he knew it was always worth it for her.

* * *

**A/N: Please don't hate me for the Booth & Cam pairing. It's only cos he's upset. Please, no death threats... And don't forget to review if you want a chance at that convertible!**


	3. Hogan's Alley

Brennan watched as her partner's hands tightened around the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white. He glanced at her, his eyes pleading. She just bit her lip to stop herself from laughing.

Behind them, Angela had her eyes closed as she hummed along to her iPod while Zack and Hodgins were bickering loudly.

"You're on my side of the line!"

"No, you're on mine, you idiot!"

"How can you call me an idiot? My IQ is far superior to yours."

"Whatever you say, _idiot_, now get off my side."

Booth slammed on the brakes, jerking everyone forwards and even extracting a small yelp from Brennan as she slammed her hands into the dashboard, the seatbelt cutting in to her shoulder. Booth's eyes offered her an apology as he turned to the back seat.

"That's enough! You two are worse than Parker! He's not even five, which shows just how small your mental ages are, no matter how genius level your IQs. Now, we're nearly at the entry gate so here's a suggestion for you and bear in mind that if you don't do what I tell you, I have numerous loaded guns in this car. We're going to travel the next couple of miles in total silence and when we get to Quantico, you're not going to show me up by acting like idiots. Yes Zack, I said _idiots_. Is that clear?"

The two men nodded mutely while Angela just smirked.

"Oh, I love it when you get all take-charge, Booth."

He had to force himself not to smile as he turned back round, avoiding Brennan's suppressed giggles. He sighed happily at the silence, about to restart the car.

"That idiot started it."

Booth just banged his head against the steering wheel.

**BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB**

The car pulled up to the entry gates, the group handing over their identification to the severe looking guard. Angela flashed him her seductive smile, even winking, but she just got a blank stare in return.

Entering the complex, Brennan found herself staring in disbelief at the vast wooded grounds around them. The boys behind them had finally shut up, their noses practically pressed against the windows as Booth drove towards the main buildings.

He felt a distinct sense of both pride and nerves as they got closer, remembering the first day he ever spent at the complex and the beginning of his FBI training. He watched the new recruits jogging alongside the road and remembered that same sense of excitement, knowing that you were entering in to something special, something noble.

Pulling up in front of the main building, he instinctively looked up at the enormous inscription over the entrance and felt a surge of pride.

_Fidelity. Integrity. Bravery._

A number of young recruits scuttled over to help with their luggage. Angela watched them with a grin, eyeing their blue shirts and khaki slacks.

"Just look at their cute little uniforms. It's like grown up boy scouts."

Brennan clambered out of the SUV behind her, taking in deep breaths of the damp air. She could have easily mistaken it for an upmarket, sprawling country retreat if it wasn't for the echoes of gunfire reverberating through the trees. Admiring the honey-coloured buildings, she began to understand why the place had earned the nickname 'The Quantico Hilton'.

A blonde woman in a smartly tailored black suit marched over to them, a professional smile immediately offered to the group. Reaching Booth, she grinned widely.

"Seeley. Always a pleasure to see you. Still drinking your three glasses of milk a day?"

"Still stealing men's boxers from the laundry?"

He flashed her his charm smile as he pulled her in to a brief but friendly embrace. She turned back to the others.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all. My name is Doctor Catherine Harwood but you can all just call me Katie. I'm a Profiler with the Investigative Support Unit, previously known as the Behavioural Science Unit."

Hodgins stepped forward, a suspicious look on his face. She offered up an indulgent smile as she reached her hand out towards him, bridging the gap.

"I'm guessing you're Doctor Jack Hodgins and you have a conspiracy theory about me and why I'm here."

His eyes narrowed as he glared at her.

"You know who we all are?"

"Of course I do. No one gets the VIP treatment at Quantico without in-depth security checks, just as I'm sure you all had to undergo questioning to work with high clearance cases at the Jefforsonian."

She grinned at him, leaning in close with a conspiratorial whisper.

"There's more than a few theories that I'm sure we can share while you're visiting us. I hear you have a fascinating take on the JFK assassination and its link with the death of Princess Diana."

He nodded happily as she turned to Bones.

"And you must be the infamous Doctor Brennan. It truly is a pleasure to meet you. I simply adored your book."

Brennan politely shook the woman's hand but couldn't shake her suspicions of her as easily as Jack did. She mentally chastised herself. Booth seemed friendly with the woman and he was the one with the instincts about people. That was good enough for her. For now.

"Thank you. Are you our liaison while we're here?"

She nodded curtly.

"Something like that. Your publishers got in touch with me when they learnt you were coming here. They wanted you to get a better perspective on the more psychological side of the things we do here."

Brennan's jaw tightened.

"I see."

She felt Booth's frown on her but did not look at him. Doctor Harwood did not miss it either and turned back to the group, waving a guiding hand in front of her.

"Shall we?"

She led the rag tag group up the steps and in to the main lobby. It was spacious and bathed with the late afternoon sunlight. Brennan watched as Angela's artistic eyes roamed every inch of the enormous space, drinking in the details hungrily. She smiled to herself. At least one of them seemed set to have a good time.

Her gaze fell on Booth. He was laughing heartily at something Doctor Harwood had just said, her hand laid casually on her forearm. Maybe Angela wouldn't be the only one.

She tore her eyes away as she swallowed hard, focusing instead on the rows of flags outside, flanking a large fountain. It all seemed so serene now she couldn't hear the distant noise of gunfire. Turning her gaze up through the sunny atrium, she examined the numerous quotations inscribed above their heads about fidelity, integrity and bravery. The FBI obviously did a good job picking and training their recruits because those were three words she would definitely use to describe her partner.

Doctor Harwood turned back to them, addressing the group as a whole.

"As you can see, this is the main lobby. There are numerous glass corridors that lead off from here to take you to each of our twenty-one buildings. They come together in a glass covered quad right in the middle of the complex so, if you do get lost, just head back there and there's plenty of signs to get you back on course."

The group nodded absently, still drinking in the surprising grandeur of the place. Doctor Harwood smiled as she threw an amused glance at Booth, giving them a moment to absorb it all, before she continued.

"Right now though, I'm going to give you a tour of Hogan's Alley."

She led them out of a side door where two oversized vehicles were waiting, looking suspiciously like golf carts. Booth practically skipped towards them, a childlike grin spread across his face.

"Sorry Katie, I'm driving."

He bounded over to the driver's side and she slid in beside him, Hodgins quickly placing himself on the bench-like seat behind to regale her with his theories. Brennan marched over to the second cart and slid in to the driver's seat, Angela claiming the passenger side. Zach jumped on behind them, still clutching a bulky case of expensive equipment he had fervently refused to hand over to the cadets.

The radio crackled on the dashboard and Katie's voice filled the cart.

"Are you sure you're ok driving that, Doctor Brennan? We have plenty of trainees who'd be happy to take you."

Brennan rolled her eyes.

"I'm sure I'll manage."

Booth's cart pulled away and Brennan followed, keeping close behind. Angela cleared her throat loudly and Temperance sighed.

"What?"

The artist shrugged innocently.

"It's nothing, sweetie. I'm just getting the feeling that you're not too keen on Booth's little Tour Guide Barbie."

Brennan said nothing, keeping her eyes focused on the route ahead as they crossed Hoover Road.

"Listen, just because she knows Booth doesn't mean that there's anything going on there."

"That's not what bothers me."

Angela beamed triumphantly.

"Ah hah! So there is something that bothers you about her!"

Brennan shot her a look but nodded slowly. If she couldn't tell her best friend, then who could she talk to?

"She's basically just a glorified psychologist. You know how much I hate psychology."

"Sure, sweetie. But I'm thinking this also has something to do with the fact that your publishers asked her to meet with you."

Brennan felt her jaw muscles tense as her hands clenched the steering wheel. Angela sighed heavily.

"I'll take that as a yes. Don't hold it against her, Bren, she's just doing what she was asked to do. And don't forget, she simply _adored_ your book."

Brennan laughed at her friend's surprisingly accurate impression, pulling the cart to a rather sudden stop behind Booth's.

Clambering out, she was surprised to find what looked like a typical small American town laid out in front of them. Doctor Harwood grinned at the group.

"Welcome to Hogan's Alley."

She led them forward, reciting the usual tour speech as she walked.

"Built in 1986, this part of the complex was set up after two agents were killed in a Miami shoot-out. The purpose of our little town is to give our new agents as much practice as possible on the street. As you can see, we have our own bank, post office, motel, casino, movie theatre and court house."

Brennan stared around her in disbelief. She wandered towards the theatre, apparently showing a film called 'Manhattan Melodrama'. She wondered if that was a real movie or if it was some kind of FBI in-joke. She made a mental note to ask Booth later.

Her eyes strolled ahead of her and rested on The Dogwood Inn. At $48 a night, the motel seemed as authentic as the rest of the town. Katie appeared beside her with a smile.

"That motel actually houses the offices of our Chief of Practical Applications Unit. He basically acts as the Mayor of Hogan's Alley and regularly participates in training exercises with a load of actors who are told to be as unhelpful as possible. In fact, while showing Bureau officials around the premises, he was actually 'arrested' by some over-zealous recruits who thought he was still playing the bad guy. I wonder who they could have been…"

She grinned at Booth who flushed a little red and turned away, pretending to read a poster outside the Post Office. Hodgins laughed heartily.

"Good move, G-Man."

Booth shot him a dangerous look as he patted the holster on his hip.

"Still got a loaded gun over here, Hodgins."

His hands raised in surrender, the scientist wandered over to inspect the window of a small bakery. Still grinning, Katie resumed her speech.

"In actuality, these buildings are just facades. Inside are offices and fully functional classrooms. The two real exceptions are the court house and the casino."

She waved her hand in the direction of the two buildings.

"We actually have a retired judge who presides over our court, allowing our trainees to practice giving evidence and hopefully not get thrown out or commit perjury on their first attempt. Our casino houses black jack, roulette, poker, all the usual games to teach our agents the basics of gambling in case it's needed for undercover work."

Brennan's eyes were drawn to Booth who was staring at the building wistfully, and couldn't help but wonder if that was where his problems started.

Katie made something of a show of looking at her watch.

"Anyway, we need to head back up to the main complex if we're hoping to find anything left for dinner."

The crowd moved back towards their golf buggies and dutifully drove back the way they had come. Re-entering the lobby, Katie led them down one of the numerous glass corridors, the group close behind her. She was still obviously in tour guide mode as she pointed down a corridor on her right.

"Down there was where the Investigative Support Unit, or ISU, used to be housed. Sixty feet below our indoor firing range, the offices were in what used to be a fallout shelter for the Director and his Chief of Staff. To get there, you had to press L-L, or 'Low-Low' as we called it, in the elevator. Hell, we were deeper than the dead down there. Since 1998 though, we've moved up in the world. Literally."

She smirked at Booth who was matching her step for step, knowing exactly where she was going.

"Now we get windows."

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The conversation over lunch was largely informative, detailing the schedule for their weekend at Quantico. Brennan didn't realise that she was being less than civil to their host until Booth basically glared at her over their meal.

After a few minutes of eating in silence, Zach asked Katie about the ISU.

"Well, it was developed in 1972 after its founders, Howard Teten and Patrick Mulaney, put together a course for FBI agents on abnormal psychology. They then learned from psychiatrist James Brussel how he used behavioural clues from crime scenes and letters to solve the difficult case of a long-running serial bomber in New York. So right from the start, the unit was grounded in the principles of psychology."

Brennan couldn't help but interrupt.

"You mean, the supposed science of profiling is based purely on probabilities, on guess work."

Booth cleared his throat loudly as the mood at the table turned ice cold. He leaned over to Katie, his words a manner of apology for his partner.

"Bones doesn't like hunches. Give her cold, hard facts any day of the week."

Doctor Harwood nodded curtly, an eyebrow raised questioningly.

"Have you ever read any Sherlock Holmes stories, Doctor Brennan?"

She blinked rapidly, confused by the sudden change of direction in the conversation.

"Well, yes I have, though I don't see how - "

Doctor Harwood cut her off.

"How about Edgar Allen Poe's C. Auguste Dupin? Or even Dostoysevky's Inspector Porfiry? They are all essentially early fictional profilers. This fiction, especially in pieces like 'Silence of the Lambs' has created something of a media backlash against our profession, making us appear amateurish like the Keystone Kops."

"I don't know what that means."

Katie cocked her head to one side, obviously unsure if the anthropologist was making fun of her. With a sigh, she continued.

"Personality dictates behaviour so what an offender shows at a crime scene is what he or she will show in other facets of their life. Predators have an abundance of choices to make - who to target, how to strike, what weapon to use, where to leave the body, how they might wish to position it after the fact. They can choose to take a life or spare it. Their decisions are essentially a behavioural fingerprint."

Brennan laid down her cutlery, her voice hard.

"But it is still essentially guesswork. The fact that the majority of past serial killers have been white males means that you automatically assume any more of them will be white males too. There is a distinct margin of error that I find unacceptable."

The group's heads snapped back and forth between the two women as if they watching a tennis match.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Doctor Brennan, but I should point out that profiling is not even the primary investigative tool and simply serves to prioritise the analysis of evidence in the course of an investigation."

"Psychology is simply a soft science. Profiling is the reason why it took the authorities so long to catch the sniper killers around Washington and Maryland a few years ago. They weren't white serial killers and you had assumed they were."

"Doctor Brennan, you are a forensic anthropologist who assists the FBI in numerous cases. Because of that and your personal history, I'm going to assume that you are in your chosen profession because you are trying to find the truth, trying to find answers for the victims and give their families some peace. I became a profiler because I'm good at what I do and I knew I could help catch the bad guys, hopefully before anyone else has to end up on your table as a pile of bones."

She rose from her chair, her cheeks flushed.

"You're not the only one looking for answers, Doctor Brennan. If you don't respect my profession, fine. I can understand that. But at least respect me, my colleagues and what it is we're trying to achieve. We want the truth, same as you."

Katie brushed down her suit as she straightened up, giving the group a curt nod goodbye.

"There are a number of arrangements that need to be made before your lecture tomorrow, Doctor Brennan, so if you'll excuse me."

She marched away, leaving Booth looking torn as to whether or not he should go after her. After a few moments, he turned his gaze back on to his partner.

"Nice going, Bones. Why not alienate every single person in the FBI while you're here?"

He rose from his chair, jogging after Katie's retreating back. Brennan tried to avoid Angela's exasperated stare as she threw down her fork, arms folded across her chest.

"I hate psychology."

* * *

**A/N: Don't worry, there's plenty of angst and dead bodies in the next chapter so please stick with it. And don't forget, I need you to review or I have no reason to live and do you really want that on your conscience…?**


	4. The Lecture Hall

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed and said so many nice things. You made my tired little heart very happy! **

**And in response to a couple of questions I was asked, no I have never been to Quantico myself (us general public types aren't allowed, dammit!) but I did a little research & asked a few people who have been there so the factual info is largely accurate, though please forgive me a little poetic licence. That said, yes Hogan's Alley does actually have a casino to teach agents to gamble, which is just asking for trouble if you ask me….**

**Anyway, back to Bones. It's gonna get a little more angsty & gory from here on in. Hope you like it, and please don't forget to review. The first five today get a chance at winning my soul….**

Thanks as ever go to the lovely Ava, cheerleader extrordinaire!

* * *

Temperance Brennan's feet pounded the path as she raced through the trees, the morning dew sticking to her shoes as she sliced through the damp air.

While at Quantico, she had decided to take full advantage of the facilities. Although she was still waiting for approval to use her gun on the multiple firing ranges, she was allowed to use the training grounds.

Skirting round one of the many obstacles on the course, Brennan kept on running, trying to rid herself of some of the anger that had built up from the day before. Her disagreement with Doctor Harwood and the look of frustration on Booth's face just kept playing through her mind.

No, she corrected herself, it was worse than that. It had been a look of disappointment in his eyes, something she'd rarely seen before. It had hurt more than she cared to admit.

Still running, Brennan evaluated how she could deal with the situation. She had not seen Doctor Harwood since she left the dining room the night before. Instead, various new recruits had escorted her and the others around the premises, showing them the labs and taking them to their rooms. The rest of her team were decidedly awkward around her following the argument, though they had relaxed back to their normal selves within the hour.

She hadn't seen Booth all night either and that bothered her most of all. He was supposed to be _her_ partner, not wandering off after former… Former what? Recruits, partners, girlfriends?

She swallowed hard, her feet speeding up as she charged onwards, her breath becoming a little ragged in her lungs as she took on a steep incline.

Brennan began to weigh up her possible courses of action. Once she got back to her room and showered, she had about an hour's spare time before her lecture would start. Maybe she could track down Doctor Harwood and apologise.

She frowned, shaking her head to herself as she ran. She didn't want to apologise, not really. She had believed in what she said. Psychology was a soft science as far as she was concerned. Guesswork and hunches were never going to be as good as the facts.

_You should have been more tactful in your opinions, Temperance. All the books you've read on conducting professional relationships, the things you've learnt from being around Booth, you should have been nicer to Katie. She hasn't done anything to you except be friendly. Especially with Booth…_

The sudden realisation of what was really bothering her nearly stopped her in her tracks. Speeding up as she came over the crest of the hill, Brennan knew all her problems with the Doctor came down to the simple fact that Booth was friendly with her. A little _too_ friendly.

_He went charging off after _her,_ not me. _

Realising the ridiculous nature of her thoughts, she broke through the tree line and slowed to a jog as she approached the main building. Marching through the lobby, she nodded in greeting at a few recruits making their way to breakfast. All staring at her open-mouthed and clutching her book, she knew she'd be seeing them at her lecture.

Weaving through the multiple glass corridors until she reached the dormitories, Brennan strolled in to her room and flicked on the light.

Something was wrong.

Instantly on the alert, Brennan felt herself instinctively move in to a battle-ready position, her fists clenched as she rocked on the balls of her feet. Hearing movement behind her, she swung round and slammed the intruder hard into the wall, her forearm pressing against their throat.

It took her a moment to realise who it was and release him. Backing away slightly, she offered up a sheepish grin.

"I'm really sorry, Booth. You just took me by surprise."

Rubbing his throat, he shook his head with a chuckle. Hearing his laughter, Brennan felt herself relax as she perched on the edge of her bed, removing her trainers.

"It's alright, Bones. I thought you might want some breakfast."

Brennan nodded as she smiled up at her partner.

"Sure. I'm just glad you're not mad at me. You know, about everything…"

Her voice was hopeful as they locked eyes. She saw frustration flash across his face but it was gone as quickly as it had arrived. Instead, he was giving her his charm smile as he threw a towel at her.

"You're my partner so I guess I'm just stuck with you, no matter how opinionated you are. Now get a shower before you really start to stink."

Grinning, she moved in to the bathroom and closed the door behind her. She heard Booth turn on the tv in the other room and she sighed happily as she turned on the shower, feeling the hot spray washing away the tenseness in her shoulders.

He was her partner. Smiling in to the stream of water, Brennan felt the relief flood through her. He was always going to be her partner.

_And I'll always be his._

**BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB**

Walking in to the enormous dining hall, Brennan and Booth made their way over to the long table where the rest of the team were tucking in to breakfast. Angela grinned up at them, obviously relieved that the pair were talking again.

"Hey you two, we wondered where you'd got to."

Booth grinned down at her and snatched what was left of a sausage off her plate, ignoring the glare he received in return. A deep voice approached, causing the agent to turn.

"Seeley! It's good to see you again."

An easy grin spread across Booth's face as he shook his old teacher's hand.

"Nate, it's good to see you too."

He turned back around, presenting his friend to the group.

"Everyone, this is Agent Nathaniel Rouse. Sir, this is Angela Montenegro, Zach Addy, Doctor Jack Hodgins and Doctor Temperance Brennan."

He shook each person's hand in turn, smiling broadly.

"Your reputations precede you all, especially yours Doctor Brennan. I'm looking forward to your lecture this morning. If it's anything like your books, I'm sure it will be both highly entertaining and educational."

Brennan smiled, shaking his hand warmly.

"Thank you, Agent Rouse. I believe it's actually you who is introducing me today, right?"

He grinned, waving a finger in her direction.

"Indeed I am, but you really must call me Nate. If I can get an old army boy like Seeley here to stop calling me sir, I'm sure you can manage."

She smiled and nodded. Nate was friendly and incredibly charming, his broad smile reminding her of Booth's somewhat. Maybe this was where he learnt it.

"I'll do my best, Nate. And please, call me Temperance."

She cast an appreciative eye over the instructor, who she guessed to be in his late forties. He was wearing a dark blue suit, the jacket slung over a muscular forearm, the deep green of his tie highlighting the hazel in his eyes. She caught herself smiling as she noticed there was no wedding ring on his finger.

Turning away to look at the others, she hoped the group - and Booth in particular - hadn't noticed the blush that had begun to creep up her neck.

A glimpse of blonde caught Brennan's eye. Turning, she saw Doctor Harwood at the end of the cafeteria queue, deliberating over what to eat. Brennan took a deep breath to steady herself and smiled at the group.

"Excuse me for a minute."

She moved away from them, aware of Booth's eyes watching her with an expression of thanks. He knew how stubborn she was and that apologising wasn't easy for her so she hoped he would appreciate the gesture she was about to offer up.

Grabbing a tray, she slipped in to the queue behind Katie.

"Good morning, Doctor Harwood."

She turned, surprised. The smile she offered back was professional but the look in her eye showed that Brennan's words the day before had cut deeper than she'd realised.

"Doctor Brennan, I trust you slept well."

Temperance swallowed hard and decided to just bite the bullet.

"Doctor Harwood… Katie, I feel I should apologise to you for what I said yesterday."

The profiler stopped, turning to face Brennan with a slight look of surprise. With a sigh, she nodded slowly.

"I understand your hesitations with my profession. I had just hoped…"

She tailed off and Brennan felt a distinct sense of guilt gnawing at her stomach.

"Whatever I feel about profiling or psychology in general, that is no reflection on you, Doctor Harwood. You were right to criticise me for my lack of respect. It was unprofessional and unfair. It won't happen again."

Katie smiled and offered her hand towards the anthropologist, one eyebrow raised.

"Let's just agree to disagree then, shall we?"

Brennan shook her hand, smiling broadly.

"Indeed. Now, do they have anything for breakfast that's not fried to within an inch of its life?"

Katie just laughed and pointed at the cereals further down the line. Brennan smiled, feeling a strange sense of relief. The vulnerability and hurt she had seen in Katie's eyes had rid Brennan of the bad feeling she'd been holding about the profiler. Booth was right to be friendly with her, she actually seemed quite nice.

Moving away to raid the cereal section, Brennan didn't notice Booth watching her from the other side of the dining hall, his eyes full of pride.

He knew she probably hadn't wanted to apologise and that she'd mainly done it for him, but that was just one of the many reasons why he was happy to be her partner.

It was just one of the many reasons why he loved her.

**BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB**

The lecture was almost over and Brennan knew it had gone well. Zach, Hodgins and Angela stared up from the front row, their expressions a mixture of pride and support. Brennan had not seen Booth but she knew he was somewhere in the full lecture theatre. She could feel it.

Leaning in towards the microphone, she clicked the button for the next slide to appear behind her, her voice carrying over the 1,000 seat lecture hall. Not that people were just sat in seats. Recruits and instructors alike were crammed into every nook and cranny, lining the walls and sitting in the aisles.

"As far back as 1938, the Director of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover, wrote to the then Curator of the Jeffersonian Institute, Professor Daniel Payne, to aid in the evaluation of specimens that were though to be irrefutably human. This was the result."

Glancing behind her at the screen as the drawing of an angry chimp appeared, laughter rumbled through the auditorium. Catching Nate's eye, he grinned at her and winked. Brennan smiled briefly and turned back to the crowd.

"Despite this early disagreement, the FBI and the Jeffersonian have forged a mutually beneficial, if somewhat tense, relationship which survives to this day. Thank you."

Hearty applause erupted throughout the hall, led enthusiastically by a beaming Angela. Brennan grinned back at her as Agent Rouse crossed to the microphone.

"That's it for today everyone. Those who brought copies of 'Bred In The Bone' with them may form an orderly queue as Doctor Brennan has kindly agreed to sign them."

He pointed a stern finger at a pale young man with glasses scrambling through the crowd.

"I said _orderly_ queue Mr Reynolds…"

He turned back to Brennan with a charismatic smile that revealed rows of perfect teeth, clapping a hand on her back in congratulations.

"That was a simply superb lecture, Temperance. Well done!"

She couldn't help but grin back at him, feeling like a pupil who'd just been awarded an A by her favourite teacher.

"Thank you, Nate, that's very kind of you."

"Kind has nothing to do with it, Doctor. You truly are a credit to your field. And by the way, the photograph on the book jacket does not do you justice."

He wandered away, offering a quick wink at her as he crossed to the queue at the side of the stage, leaving Brennan to gather her notes with a bemused smile. Angela appeared at her side, grinning from ear to ear.

"I think Agent Hottie over there was flirting with you, Bren."

Brennan suppressed the urge to laugh as she slid her papers in to her case.

"I don't think he's quite young enough for you to be referring to him as a hottie, Ange."

The artist shrugged, her eyes roaming the older man.

"Well, he's hardly Agent OAP is he? If I knew the FBI churned out guys like him and Booth, I'd have joined years ago…"

Rouse turned to Brennan, beckoning her over to the crowd waiting at the side of the stage. For a moment, she was caught in his gaze and felt the blush returning to her cheeks. She broke the stare first, cursing herself for feeling like a little school girl in his presence. Angela nudged her forward.

"Your adoring fans await, my lady. Better not keep them waiting."

Shooting a look at her best friend, she moved across the stage. As she walked, she let her eyes roam the architecture of Rouse's face.

His dark hair was peppered grey and cut close to his head, giving him a distinguished air of authority that matched his roman nose and otherwise soft features. The skin around his eyes had developed crow's feet, revealing that he often smiled, though the lines across his forehead from frowning proved his serious side too.

Reaching the head of the queue, Brennan accepted the pen from Rouse, trying to ignore the frisson of electricity she felt as his hand brushed against hers. Turning to the crowd, she accepted the book that was thrust at her by the eager recruit Rouse had admonished for rushing earlier.

About to ask his name, the scream that split through the murmuring crowd tore Brennan's eyes away. Looking up through the tiers of seating to the back row, she saw Booth charging through the throng to reach a young woman who was pointing frantically at someone hunched over in their seat. Slinging a reassuring arm over the cadet's shoulders, Booth gave the man a quick glance before his gaze found Brennan's.

She didn't need to ask. The man was dead.

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Booth watched his partner's speech from the back of the packed lecture hall. He'd never seen the place so full, but then it wasn't often that the Academy played host to a bona fide celebrity.

He found it hard to reconcile his Brennan with the image all her fans held. Looking around the numerous young men staring at his partner lustfully, he knew the book's sex scenes had definitely been a major part of the draw for them to be here.

He couldn't help but shudder at the thought of all these men looking at Temperance, _his_ Temperance. Sure, she was an incredibly good looking woman and she drew plenty of attention, but that didn't mean he had to like it.

The lecture ended and he clapped heartily, unable to keep the proud smile off his face as he heard a couple of girls sat in the back row whispering how they wished they were as smart as Doctor Brennan.

His eyes settled back on his partner as she brushed a loose strand of auburn hair behind her ear, grinning up at Nate. Booth couldn't help but frown as he watched the interaction between his partner and his mentor.

They were flirting. Those smiles, the hand on her back, the way her eyes examined him. They were _flirting_.

Booth felt his jaw clench as his grip tightened around the poker chip in his pocket, a chip he'd surreptitiously stolen from this very institution.

_How dare he make a move on my partner? How dare she let him?_

He let out a long breath, trying to steady himself as he watched her cross the stage towards Rouse. He didn't even notice the crowds of people swarming past him to the exit, his eyes locked on his partner.

_That's right, Booth, your partner. It's not like the two of you are dating. She's not yours to own. She should be able to flirt with whoever she wants._

His admonishment of himself did nothing to quell the feelings now gnawing at his stomach. He refused to admit it was jealousy.

Swallowing back his objections, Booth turned to leave when the scream tore through the theatre, causing everyone to freeze. Jumping over the seat in front of him, he darted right and pushed his way through the crowd to reach the young cadet standing on the back row.

Her eyes wide and full of tears, one hand covered her open mouth while the other pointed frantically at the man sat before her. Booth wrapped an arm around her shoulders, squeezing them slightly in support as he leant over the man.

Underneath the baseball cap, Booth could just see the man's mouth in the shadows. He was deathly pale, a thin trickle of blood beginning to congeal on his chin. Carefully, he wrapped his fingers round the man's wrist, already knowing he'd find no pulse under the cold skin.

Standing up straight, his eyes automatically found Brennan's. He didn't need to say anything. She already knew.

They had a case.

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****A/N: Yes, the end of Brennan's speech was what she said in 'The Boy In The Bush' but I don't know enough about anthropology to write my own version. That, and I just love the fact the FBI thought that a chimp was a person, hee hee. Please don't hate me… Reviewers get a chance at my soul. Yes, I'm selling it for encouragement. I'm a review ho, deal with it...**


	5. Agent McAvoy

**A/N: Sorry this one's a little shorter than normal but hey, five chapters in less than 24 hours people! Ok, well, I'm proud of that... **

**Oh and to Andrew (my Quantico fact machine), thank you so much for all your help. He even drew me a little map of the place, bless. And as ever thank you to everyone who's reviewed, especially the lovely Ava. Please please please review, even if it's just to tell me I'm crap. I hit writer's block at about 100mph earlier and now have seriously painful whip-lash that can only be eased by the generous gifts of reviews...**

**Bring out the cheerleaders and let's get cracking!**

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The majority of people had been ushered out of the lecture hall by the instructors by the time Zach delivered Brennan her kit. For some reason though, she had been unable to shake the overly enthusiastic recruit called Reynolds. He was still clutching his book to his chest. She hadn't had the chance to sign it.

He followed her up the aisle to the back row, though he was stopped from getting any closer to Brennan and the body by Nate who shook his head gravely.

Glancing over at Booth who was busy talking to the young agent whose scream had alerted them all to the situation, Brennan snapped on the latex gloves as Doctor Harwood appeared by Agent Rouse's side. Her eyes wide, the blonde profiler turned to her fellow instructor.

"Everyone's been confined to their dorm rooms. How could this have happened here, Nate?"

He didn't answer, instead turning his intelligent eyes to Brennan who couldn't bring herself to break his gaze. She offered him a grim smile as she zipped up the boiler suit she had slipped on over her clothes.

"I'll find out."

Zach looked up from the other side of the body, addressing the two instructors.

"Doctor Brennan always catches the bad guys."

Nate grinned at him.

"It's good to see that you have such confidence in your mentor, Mr Addy. It's very encouraging."

Zack shrugged as he returned to retrieving evidence bags from the kit.

"I was simply stating a fact."

Booth returned to the group as Brennan made her way behind the row of seats, examining the back of the victim's neck. Glancing at his notes, he told her what he knew.

"The recruit's name is Michelle Webb. She says the man was already sitting there when she and her three friends found their seats. It was only when they were trying to leave and the crowd was blocking their path in the other direction that she tried to speak to the victim to ask if they could get past. When he didn't answer, she nudged him and his hand fell from his lap. That was when she saw the blood around his mouth and started screaming. What've you got, Bones?"

Nate arched an amused eyebrow.

"You call her Bones?"

Booth shrugged.

"Well, you know, she works with Bones…"

He tried to hide his embarrassment, hating the fact that his mentor could make him feel only an inch tall. Brennan raised her eyes from the corpse.

"He knows I don't like it but I've given up telling him."

"Oh dear, Seeley. That's not really the way to talk to a lady now is it?"

Booth purposefully stared at his notes, pretending to write something down as he felt the anger flaring within him.

_First you hit on my partner and then you have the audacity to criticise how I talk to her. You son of a…_

He swallowed hard, casting a sideways glance at his mentor and realising how childish he was being. Sighing, he listened as Brennan began her analysis in to the dictaphone.

"There's an obvious gunshot wound to the back of the neck. Booth, is there any evidence of an exit wound at the front?"

He crouched down, using his pen to open the shirt collar at the man's neck as he was yet to put on any gloves. He looked back up at Brennan.

"There's some pretty obvious bruising that I'd associate with strangulation but no exit wound."

She nodded slowly.

"I think the bullet may still be lodged in this man's spine. Zach, what do you see here?"

Her assistant moved round beside her as Nate cocked his head to one side.

"You're asking the opinion of your grad student, Doctor Brennan?"

She shrugged as her eyes locked with his.

"As you say, Agent Rouse, Zach is my grad student and unless I am mistaken, we are currently in a training facility, therefore it is my intent to educate."

There was no malice or bitterness in her voice but Nate still looked away, obviously a little embarrassed. Booth smirked, at least until he saw Katie watching him with a curious smile. He returned his attention to what Zach was saying.

"The abrasion ring surrounding the entrance wound suggests the muzzle of the gun was pressed reasonably hard against the base of the victim's neck."

Booth sighed heavily.

"So he was shot execution style?"

Brennan nodded.

"Yes, except that the powder tattooing across his skin is a greyish yellow, which shows that this man was already dead when he was shot."

Reynolds, the young recruit, pushed his glasses up his nose before stammering a question at his idol.

"H-h-h- how do you know that?"

Booth spun round, eyeing the young man warily as Brennan answered.

"If he had been alive, the hot gunpowder searing in to the skin would create a reddish-brown or almost orange colour as blood rushed to the area. The fact that the skin has a grey tint proves that this man's blood was not being pumped around his body when he was shot."

The recruit nodded eagerly, drinking in the details. Booth narrowed his eyes at him.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?"

The boys pale skin flushed red as his eyes widened, obviously intimidated.

"I-I-I'm a recruit. I was hoping that D-D-Doctor Brennan would be able to sign my book."

He paused, frowning as he stared at the Agent.

"You're Seeley Booth, aren't you? You were the one Doctor Brennan dedicated her book to, the one Agent Andy Lister is based on?"

Booth grinned as Brennan jerked upward, clambering over the seats to the recruit as she practically snatched the book out of his hands.

"That character is most definitely _not_ based on Agent Booth."

Her partner grinned at the cadet as he slung a casual arm around her shoulders.

"She doesn't like to admit it but…"

The recruit's eyes widened to the size of saucers, his expression eager.

"So you and Doctor Brennan aren't involved then, romantically speaking?"

A cheeky grin spread across Booth's face as he looked down at his partner, opening his mouth to say something she knew would be highly inappropriate at a crime scene.

A swift elbow in his ribs caused Booth to double over, winded, before he could reply to the cadet.

Brennan handed the book back to Reynolds who quickly scuttled away. Turning back to face her partner, hands on hips, she rolled her eyes at the fact he was still bent over.

"For pity's sake, Booth, I didn't hit you _that_ hard."

He was staring sideways at the victim. She took a step closer, confused when he eventually looked up at her. It wasn't pain in his eyes that she saw. It was rage. He pointed at the body.

"This man is Agent Howard McAvoy. He used to be a firearms instructor here. He was a damn _teacher_. How the hell did he end up like this?"

Tilting back the victim's head so they could see his face under the baseball cap, Booth revealed his former tutor. Behind her, Brennan heard Katie gasp. She turned to her as Nate wrapped a muscular arm around the profiler's shoulders, squeezing her reassuringly.

"I'm so sorry, Katie."

The blonde just nodded mutely, her eyes swimming with tears as Nate rocked her slightly. Catching his eye, Brennan offered him a grave smile which he returned, though his eyes seemed cold, sending a shiver down her back.

She turned back to the scene where Zack had ushered Booth away. He was now leaning his weight on the back of the chairs in front, staring at nothing as he attempted to regain his composure.

Brennan wanted to go to him, wanted to hold him to her and tell him that it would be ok, tell him that they'd find whoever did this. But then Booth turned back around, staring at the corpse, though Brennan noted that his gaze never reached Agent McAvoy's face.

Zach slipped the book on the victim's lap in to an evidence bag, making sure it stayed on the page it was open at, and passed it up to Booth before turning his gaze back to his mentor.

"He was reading your book, Doctor Brennan."

She watched as Booth blinked rapidly, turning the book over to examine the familiar cover. Brennan swallowed back the distasteful feeling that crept across her skin at the sight of her work in the hands of a dead man.

Crouching beside Zach, she pointed at the man's arm lying limp at his side.

"It looks like he suffered a fall shortly before he died."

Nate's voice sounded from behind her.

"How can you tell that?"

She carefully turned over the victim's hand to reveal his swollen wrist and the cuts on his palm.

"He appears to have suffered a displaced fracture to his distal radius."

She put her own arm out to demonstrate how it might have happened.

"This type of fracture usually occurs when someone falls. Instinctively, a person will put their hands out in front of them but when the outstretched hand connects with the surface, most likely the floor, it suddenly becomes rigid."

She slammed her hand in to the floor to show them what she meant.

"The momentum from the fall will cause both a twisting and compressing force on your forearm, occasionally causing it to break. In this case, the abrasions to the victim's palms and the trace evidence suggest he fell on to a gravel surface. When his hand hit the ground, his wrist broke into multiple pieces, causing it to bulge against his skin as the bone became displaced, creating the abnormal swelling you can see here. It would have been incredibly painful."

Katie began to sob in to Nate's shoulder and Brennan quickly stood, her face apologetic.

"Oh Katie, I'm sorry. I…"

Brennan trailed off, not sure what to say. She wasn't good with people, especially not in times of grief. Doctor Harwood just nodded against Nate's chest, indicating that she had heard the apology.

Booth's voice pulled Brennan's gaze back to her partner.

"That's not all."

She couldn't quite read his expression but she swore she could almost see a flicker of fear in his eyes.

"He left you a message, Temperance."

The fact that he had used her first name in circumstances like these immediately gave her cause for concern. Frowning, she moved in closer, looking down at the book inside the plastic baggie that Booth offered to her.

It was open to the title page, a message scrawled in thick marker pen over the inside of the cover.

She leaned in for a closer look, her mouth dry as she scanned the words.

_One for sorrow, two for Joy, three for an answer, fourth is the toy. _

_Good luck catching the bad guy this time, Temperance. You must be Keen-an raring to go. _

_Always yours, Peter Menac_

_PS: Daddy sends his love._

Brennan felt her knees weaken as she clutched at the seats in front of her to steady herself, Booth instantly wrapping an arm around her waist for support. One word escaped her lips, a tiny whisper she knew only her partner had heard.

"Daddy…"

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A/N: Puts on deep TV Announcer type voice That's it for tonight folks (well, depending on how bad both my insomnia and writer's block gets...). Check back asap for your next exciting installment and don't forget to review. You know you want to...**


	6. One For Sorrow

**A/N: Thanks to the magical powers of insomnia, I have worked throughout the night just to deliver you - yes you, the one staring at your computer screen right now - your next instalment of Bones action. Just for that, I think you should treat me to a review… Go on, please? You know you want to…. Push that button, push it… Push it… Push it push it push it push it! Please?**

**Thanks as ever to my incredible pillar of support, the wonderful Ava (who gave me the Quantico idea in the first place), and to everyone who's sent me such supportive messages, especially Mariah, Lynn, Pekingduk and Bella-mi-amore (you called me inspirational, bless your heart!). Thanks guys! Love you lots like Jelly Tots!**

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Doctor Temperance Brennan stood leaning over the sink in the woman's bathroom, staring at herself in the mirror without really seeing anything. She didn't see the sunken eyes, the tear stains on her cheeks or the paleness of her skin. All she saw was the crude message written across her book.

_Daddy sends his love…_

Brennan felt her stomach lurch, the uncertainty running through her.

The father she knew had been a high school science teacher, the man who inspired her love for academia. Since the disappearance of her parents, however, she had learnt that they had been involved in armed robberies and alike, changing their names to avoid retribution from the gang they previously worked with. Their disappearance had been to protect her and her brother.

Since then though, Temperance had identified her mother's remains and put the man responsible for her death behind bars. But then her father, who was still out there somewhere, had ordered a hit on him and Brennan lost her one chance at answers.

The fear building inside her constricted her chest, making it hard to breath under the weight of her thoughts.

_Daddy sends his love… Did my father have this man killed too?_

She shook her head fervently, trying to shake the thoughts right out of her mind. She refused to accept the possibility that her father could ever do a thing like this. He was her _father_.

The sound of heels on the tiled floor yanked her out of her thoughts. Blinking rapidly, she turned to see Katie standing there, smiling sympathetically despite the mascara under her eyes, with Angela hovering by her side.

Not that she stayed there for long. Within seconds, Brennan found herself locked in her best friend's embrace.

"Oh sweetie, are you ok? Booth's worried about you, we all are. He showed me the message."

Finally letting go, she let the tears overcome her, sobbing hard into the artist's shoulder, no longer caring what anyone might think about her lack of strength.

Angela just rubbed a soothing hand up and down her back, gently rocking her from side to side as Katie averted her eyes, feeling distinctly like an intruder. After a few more minutes, Temperance pulled away and angrily wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"What do I do now?"

Angela gripped the tops of her arms, shaking her slightly.

"You do what you always do, sweetie, you solve a murder. Whoever left that note, it's not your father. He loves you, Bren, and he'd never do anything like this, he'd never want to hurt you. So, we need to find out who really did leave that message, if only so me and Booth can go kick his ass."

Brennan sniffed, offering a weak smile.

"Not if I get there first."

Angela grinned and hugged her friend, for once glad that she had the distraction of her work.

Katie cleared her throat from the doorway.

"It's good to see that you're ok, Doctor Brennan. If it's alright with you, I'm going to join the others examining the book, see if I can get something from all of this."

Temperance took a step toward the blonde, doing her best to smile.

"Katie, I'm sorry that you lost a friend tonight. If you think a psychological profile will help, then do it. We need all the evidence we can get."

A look of surprise hit Katie's features at the anthropologist's support, though it was soon replaced by a thankful smile as she marched out of the door, her eyes swimming with tears.

Angela linked her arm with her best friend's and beamed at her.

"That was very sweet of you, Bren. Now, are you up to examining some decomposing remains? The doc's waiting for you."

The artist guided her best friend towards the autopsy suite. Stepping inside, Brennan was surprised by the enormity of the room, taking a moment to remember that it was usually used for teaching a large number of students at a time.

Slipping on a gown and latex gloves, she glanced at Angela.

"Ange, you don't need to stay if you don't want to. I'll be fine now. I'm working."

The artist was staring at the corpse on the table in front of them, her face pale. Eventually, she dragged her eyes back up to Brennan's.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I am, but thank you for the offer."

Angela nodded slowly, swallowing hard as she turned back around. She paused in the doorway, glancing over her shoulder at her best friend.

"I'm sorry Bren. I'm just not… I'm used to it just being a pile of bones."

She slipped away, the door swinging shut behind her. Sighing heavily, Temperance fished the dictaphone out of her pocket and introduced herself to the Doctor. He smiled warmly at her as she began to record her initial observations.

"As previously noted, there is a penetrating gunshot wound to the base of the victim's neck, the abrasion ring indicating that he was dead at the time of the shooting. Bruising around the throat indicates prolonged strangulation while he was most definitely still alive, though this does not directly account for the bleeding from the mouth."

She turned back to the doctor.

"Do you have the X-ray films back yet?"

He nodded as he dutifully begun clipping them to the light board.

"Yes, though I haven't had a chance to examine them."

As soon as he withdrew the third one from the folder, he gasped. Receiving a frown from Brennan, he placed it on the light board for her to see.

It was impossible to tell from the neck x-ray whether the bullet was still lodged in the victim's spine or if the bones had been crushed from strangulation. Instead, all Brennan could make out was a hazy grey mass in the throat, a small circle clear as day in the middle.

Crossing to the instrument tray, she withdrew a long pair of tweezers and moved back to Agent McAvoy's mouth. Repositioning the light, she used the tweezers to reach down his throat, eventually getting a grip on the obstruction. After some gentle cajoling, she finally managed to get the mass free.

Holding it up to the light, it appeared to be a scrunched up ball of paper although its surprising weight implied something was hidden inside. A few drops of blood fell from the evidence, hitting the side of the autopsy table.

Brennan carefully placed the paper in to the metal tray the doctor offered. Turning back to the body, she shone a tiny flashlight into the victim's mouth and throat, recording her findings in to the dictaphone.

"The victim's oesophagus has been blocked by what appears to be a mass of screwed up paper. The small cuts and abrasions to the inside of the victim's mouth and throat would appear to have occurred when he was forced to swallow the mass, causing the blood to trickle out of the side of the mouth when it had nowhere else left to go."

She turned back to the doctor who was gingerly using tweezers to unravel the paper. He withdrew what looked like a wedding ring, dropping it in to a second metal tray with a loud clink. He looked up at Brennan with a frown.

"It's not paper. It's a black and white photograph."

She crossed over to the table and her blood ran cold.

Staring back up at her, half obscured by blood and bile, were four happy faces and she recognised each and every one. It was her parents, her brother and herself, all huddled together on the steps of their old family home as they grinned at the camera.

Slowly, she reached out to the photograph and turned it over, her hands shaking. There she saw the now familiar handwriting scrawled across the back.

_One for sorrow, Temperance._

She bit back the tears, her hands scrambling for the ring. It was a simple gold wedding band, obviously made for a man. Something caught her eye and she looked closer, discovering an inscription engraved around the inside.

_My darling Max. I am eternally yours. Always, Christine._

Brennan just stared at the names, her parent's names, her eyes brimming with tears. The doctor moved to her side, a confused look on his face.

"Doctor Brennan? Is everything ok?"

She didn't reply. She couldn't.

"Doctor Brennan?"

She blinked rapidly, her heart pounding in her chest. The ring fell from her grasp as she backed away from the table, shaking her head frantically.

"I can't, I'm sorry. I just can't…"

She turned and ran from the room, racing down glass corridors, on and on, not caring where she was going as long as it was as far away from that room as possible.

She ran until she thought her lungs were going to burst, and she cried until she thought she might drown in her own tears.

And then she cried some more.

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Booth paced up and down the unfamiliar laboratory, the cell phone glued to his ear as he waited for a response. Eventually, he heard the voice at the other end and barked into the handset.

"Bobby, give me good news, man."

He felt the eyes of the others bore into his back as he listened intently. Sighing, he swept a tired hand across his face.

"Thanks. Yeah, I'll check in again soon."

He snapped the phone shut as he turned back around, his eyes scanning the group in front of him.

Zach was staring up at him hopefully, Nate held a grim expression and Hodgins was furiously twanging the elastic band he wore round his wrist as an anger management tool.

The door creaked open behind them and Katie slowly entered. Although she was no longer crying, the mascara under her puffy eyes indicated that she had only just stopped. Booth pulled her into a tight embrace, kissing his old friend's cheek gently.

"How you feeling?"

She pulled back and offered up a grim smile.

"Like I'm ready to find the bastard that did this to our Howard."

Her voice was firm and steady though Booth could still see the prickling of tears in her eyes. He smiled at her encouragingly and guided her to the nearest stool at the table.

Running a hand through his hair, Booth sighed heavily.

"Cullen, my boss, is making this case a priority. Whatever we need, we get. We lost an agent today in our very own training academy. Not only is that a despicable act, it's…"

He tailed off. It's what?

_Blasphemous. I was going to say blasphemous. Someone has taken the code, the honour and the nobility of my FBI and turned it into something ugly. I can't let that happen, not when this someone is dragging Bones down with him._

He shook his head and folded his arms, trying to get back on track.

"The message in the book is signed 'Peter Manac'. The DC office has run that name through every database we have. So far, they've turned up nothing but they're not done looking. They'll go through every page of the phone directory if they have to. Though I've got to admit, I really doubt that whoever did this signed his or her own name."

Katie nodded, pulling the book across the table toward her for a better look.

"Whoever the murderer is, they must still be on the base. As soon as the alert went out that there was a dead body on the premises, security initiated the lockdown. No-one can get in or out until the big guys upstairs lift it."

Booth leant against the table top and rolled his eyes.

"Well, let's just hope the suits don't have any all-important golf games to go out and play anytime soon or it'll be lifted right away."

Hodgins grinned at him but Nate just shook his head thoughtfully.

"Maybe security are the problem. Those guys would have had the opportunity and the means to get a dead body in to the lecture hall without anyone noticing. I mean come on, the murderer's gotta have some pretty precise knowledge of security rounds, cleaning rotas and all of that to pull off a stunt like this."

Hodgins nodded.

"Not to mention he's got some seriously big cahon… Angela!"

The artist wandered into the room, her face pale and her eyes distant. Hodgins was instantly at her side, one arm snaking around her waist as Booth approached.

"Hey Ange, you ok?"

She nodded slowly.

"I just… I just don't like dead bodies. I can deal with skulls and human soup, just not… _that_."

Booth paused and swallowed hard, not sure if he wanted an honest answer to his next question.

"And Bones? Is she alright?"

Angela nodded, a slight smile brushing her lips as Hodgins sat her down on the stool beside him.

"She'll be fine. She's getting to work after all."

A wave of relief washed over him and he let out the breath he hadn't even realised he was holding. Suddenly, Nate was at his side, whispering quietly as the others filled Angela in on what they knew so far.

"Seeley, I know this might not be the best time but I thought I should ask."

Booth knew what was coming and he didn't like it. Not trusting what he might say if he opened his mouth, his simply nodded for his mentor to continue.

"In the lecture hall before, when Reynolds asked if you and Doctor Brennan were romantically involved, you said "Well, Bones doesn't like to admit it but…". I just wanted to check what that 'but' was because, quite frankly, I think she likes me."

Booth felt his cheeks begin to burn with anger.

_You arrogant bastard..._

"You know, Nate, you're right. Now really isn't the best time. And anyway, whatever relationship I do or do not have with my partner is no concern of yours."

His former teacher's eyes narrowed for a moment before his eyebrows shot up in disbelief.

"Oh dear, Seeley. _You_ don't even know what your relationship is with her!"

Booth opened his mouth to fire back an angry reply but Zach's yelp distracted him. Turning round, he snapped at the grad student.

"What? What have you found?"

Zach pointed at the signature.

"I know why you can't find the name Peter Manc in your records. It's not two names, it's one."

He grabbed a piece of paper and a pen and spelt out the letters from each name, Booth crossing behind the desk to watch over Zach's shoulder as he rearranged it to form one word.

_Temperance._

"Oh God…"

Booth felt his jaw drop as the rest of the message began to make more sense. Angela jabbed a finger at the writing scrawled across the book.

"That's why he wrote _Keen an raring to go_. He means Brennan's old surname, Keenan."

Nate blinked rapidly.

"Temperance changed her name? Why? Is it a pen name type thing, for the book?"

Booth shook his head, his eyes roaming the rest of the note.

"No, her parents did it when she was too young to remember. She only found out a few months ago when her mother's remains were identified."

He pointed a shocked finger at the first sentence of the message.

"That's why he capitalised the word joy. It's not a feeling, it's her old first name."

Katie shook her head in disbelief.

"Her parents changed her name from Joy to Temperance? It's almost like they knew what was going to happen to her."

Booth just stared at the message in disbelief.

_How does the killer know all these things about my partner? How dare he drag up her past like this?_

Hearing a door slam nearby, the group looked up just in time to see a woman sprinting past the window. Zach pointed after her, a confused expression on his face.

"Was that Doctor Brennan?"

Nate moved to go after her but Booth was already at the door, the look he cast his former mentor a clear warning not to follow.

"She's _my_ partner."

Leaving the lab and the message behind, he followed the sound of running footsteps as fast as he could, cursing himself for not exercising that morning. Down glass corridor after glass corridor, he finally passed through the main lobby and out in to the daylight.

Brennan had stopped at the edge of the tree line and he was catching up with her, but not able to reach his partner in time to stop her collapsing to her knees. Skidding to a halt beside her, he pulled her close to him, letting her sob against his chest and trying not to be scared himself at seeing this vulnerable side.

"Oh Temperance, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

She cried harder, causing the pair of them to rock slightly on the sodden earth. Slowly, she began to calm down, her strangled cries now replaced with long sniffs as she fought back the tears. She still leant on him though, she still needed his support. His arms wrapped tight around her, he gently kissed the crown of her head.

They sat there in silence for what seemed like hours. The grounds were eerily silent with all the trainees still on lock-down in their dorms, the trees above them whispering in the breeze.

Eventually, Brennan pulled back, her bloodshot eyes locking with Booth's.

"Someone forced Agent McAvoy to swallow a photograph and a wedding ring."

She swallowed hard, forcing herself to continue. He was her partner. She had to tell him.

"The photograph was of my family. All of us. And the wedding band… It was engraved from my mother to my father."

Her eyes began to swim again as she stared at him, shaking her head in disbelief.

"How can he know that? Whoever did this… Where did he get that ring, that photo?"

Booth averted his gaze. He knew he had to tell her about the message but he didn't want to see her hurt any more than she already was. But she was his partner. He had to tell her.

"Temperance…"

Her eyes softened when he used her first name and he attempted a smile, fully aware that it probably hadn't reached his eyes.

"Bones, we found something in the message. The name Peter Manc isn't real, it's an anagram. It spells Temperance."

Her eyes widened, tears spilling over. He forced himself to continue, the words tripping over his tongue in his rush to rid himself of them.

"That's not all. He used your old name, Joy Keenan, in the note. This body, this murder, it was all staged for you, Bones. Whoever did this put that body in the hall purely so you'd find it. All these clues are just a lure to get you to play his game."

She shook her head slowly.

"What choice do I have? 'Three for an answer', that's what he wrote isn't it? I want answers, Booth. I _need_ them."

He reached out to her then, wiping a tear from her cheek as she stared up at him, fear in her eyes.

"Seeley?"

His heart skipped a beat. Swallowing hard, he met her gaze.

"Yes Temperance?"

"All these things - the photographs, the ring, the message - it's because… My father's doing this isn't he?"

"No. It's not your father."

The certainty in his voice surprised even him. Brennan seemed to relax a little though her eyes were still uncertain.

"How can you be sure?"

"Because he's your father and he loves you. No man that feels that way about someone as wonderful and smart and beautiful as you could ever do that. Not to you, Temperance. Not to you."

He bit back everything else he wanted to say.

_And I know that because _I_ love you, because I hate to see you cry, because I want nothing more than to just hide you away and protect you from the evil in this world. All because I love you so much it hurts sometimes. Like now._

She smiled up at him, thankful for his conviction and buried her head against his shoulder, if only to stop herself from saying all the things she would never dare to say.

_You called me wonderful and beautiful. You called me Temperance… You know who I am, you know my fears, and you know exactly what to say. That's why I love you. My partner, my friend, my Booth. That's why I love you._

They sat there tangled up together in silence for what felt like days, neither managing to find the strength to say what the other needed to hear.

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**A/N: Ok, that ended up much longer than I was planning. Sorry guys! Now see that button in the bottom left? It says GO next to Submit Review? It's calling to you… It wants you to push it. It _lives_ for you to push it. It's only function in life is for you to push it…. Make a button and an incredibly exhausted insomniac happy!**


	7. Missed My Moment

**A/N: Be warned, I am incredibly tired and I've just had the worst meeting known to man so prepare for a hell of a lot of angst today. Sorry kids but this is my catharsis. **

**And don't forget to review when you finish. I'm not going to beg. Hell, who am I kidding… PLEASE? I'm having a very very bad day and without reviews I don't think I'll be able to carry on… Please, pretty please? Pretty please with melted Galaxy chocolate on top and a sprinkling of Boreanaz in his tighty whiteys! **

**Fine. Be like that. See if I care… flounces off with a big sulk on (PS: still love you Ava, don't take the cheerleaders away from me...)**

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Temperance Brennan sat on the window seat in her dorm room, a blanket draped around her shoulders as she hugged the hot cup of coffee to her chest. Staring out over the grounds of Quantico, she watched the treetops swaying in the breeze, the moonlight dappling their branches as the stars pierced the darkness above.

A finger against the window, she attempted to trace the constellations in the sky, remembering the ones her father had taught her.

She couldn't help but shudder at the thought of her father, the day's events flooding back to her. After talking to Booth at the edge of the very trees she was staring at now, she had somehow found the courage to return to the autopsy room and finish her evaluation. Following a somewhat brief examination of his own, the FBI doctor had allowed Zach to begin the procedure of essentially boiling the remains, enabling them to get a clear picture of the bones.

Brennan remembered the look in Katie's eye when she had heard what they were doing to her friend. It had been…chilling. Nate had been at the blonde's side all day, comforting and reassuring her.

Temperance smiled at the thought of Nate. He was a genuinely nice man and she felt somewhat soothed in his presence. She was certain that some of his easy charm had rubbed off on Booth during his time at the academy.

_Booth…_

Brennan closed her eyes, finding herself back sitting on the sodden earth on the edge of the trees, her partner's arms wrapped around her, keeping her safe. She could feel the heat of his body, smell his aftershave, hear the beating of his heart beneath his impressive pectoral muscles. She sighed heavily.

_Booth…_

She remembered a conversation she had not long ago with Rebecca, Booth's ex and mother of his child. The blonde - a trend in her partner's love life that Brennan had not overlooked - had told her that you only ever really get one moment in your life to catch fire with someone, to make that connection. Rebecca and Booth had missed their moment.

Screwing her eyes shut, Brennan sighed again, this time with a tinge of sadness.

_Did I miss my moment too?_

She attempted to dismiss the thought as irrational. With the universe's infinite possibilities, logic would suggest that the thesis of only one moment for each couple was impossible, that there must be any number of specific instances when they could take the opportunity to further their relationship beyond the platonic.

All the logic and rational hypothesises she could think of did little to reassure her as her mind played back every single time she had been tempted by him to take that next step, to push their relationship beyond the purely professional. The sheer number of memories caused her to wonder if maybe now she was running out of moments to grab.

_Booth…_

Not long after her conversation with Rebecca, Brennan had found herself in her office discussing the anthropology of sex yet again with her partner. This time, something had been different. The way he looked at her, the way she looked back, something had changed. He had moved closer, that boyish smile on his face as he told her that there were just some people you couldn't sleep with, that there were too many strings attached. There was too much to lose.

She closed her eyes again, feeling the heat of his body against hers as she let herself be vulnerable with him, let her strength dissolve. She felt the strength of his arms around her only hours before, and she remembered how safe she had felt, how protected. He always came through for her, no matter what. He was her partner.

She remembered his deep voice reverberating around his chest as he spoke, reassuring and comforting her as easily as if he was ordering a cup of coffee.

_"He's your father and he loves you. No man that feels that way about someone as wonderful and smart and beautiful as you could ever do that. Not to you, Temperance. Not to you._"

That had been her moment, right there and then, amidst all the uncertainty and the doubt and the pain and the anger. _That_ had been her big moment, her chance to tell him how she really felt.

Brennan bit back tears as she stared up at the crescent moon, her finger tracing its shape in the dark.

_And how could I tell him? As far as he's concerned, I'm just Bones. I'm just someone he works with. He doesn't feel it. Not that I even know what _it_ is…_

The gentle knock on the door caught her attention and she turned her head in time to see Booth's silhouette step inside.

_Booth…_

He flicked on the light switch, his eyes roaming the room for her. She blinked rapidly at the sudden brightness and he offered her a sheepish grin in apology. She smiled back, aware that she probably looked like hell.

_There's too much to lose. With everyone else that's left me, I can't lose him, not now. Not ever. I can't risk it. There's too much to lose._

He wandered over to sit at her feet on the window sill, his presence immediately comforting her. He hadn't left her side all day, not since he helped her back inside following her minor breakdown. Everywhere she went, he followed. He wanted to protect her, and she wanted to let him.

She was actually a little surprised he'd left her alone at all for the past hour. He had sent her to her room with the orders to get some sleep. She had the sneaking suspicion he hadn't strayed too far.

He smiled at her as she passed him her coffee, taking a long sip. He let out a satisfied sigh and passed it back, his eyes full of concern.

"Did you manage to get any shut eye?"

She shook her head, averting her eyes. The thoughts of all those missed moments were too prominent in her mind for her to concentrate properly. His thigh was brushing against her toes, his hand on her bended knee, his touch hot against her.

"Bones, you need to get some sleep."

She pulled her eyes away from the window and looked at him. The shadows cast across his handsome features only served to highlight his look of grave concern. She shrugged as she looked away again, bringing the coffee cup to her lips and blowing on its contents softly.

He sighed heavily and ran a tired hand through his hair. Still she could not look at him. She felt him lean toward her, felt the weight of his presence.

"Temperance… Talk to me. Please, just talk to me."

Just like every time he said her first name, she felt that distinct shiver creep down her spine. After a few more seconds, she finally locked her eyes on to his, the relief obvious in his sagging shoulders.

"I don't want to talk about it, Booth. I can't."

As his thumb absently created circles against her kneecap, Brennan realised she didn't even mean the case. Her head felt heavy with the tangled mess of thoughts that were bouncing around her brain.

"I understand. Just know that I'm here for you. Whatever you want to do, I'm here."

He smiled and she felt the box around her heart open a little. A ghost of a smile brushed her lips and his eyes brightened.

"That's my girl."

The smile broke into a full blown grin and then she found herself laughing, almost hysterically. She didn't even know why she was laughing, she just did and it felt good.

Booth took hold of her feet, dropping them to the floor so she had to sit upright, enabling him to shuffle along the windowsill and wrap his arm around her. Finally calming down a little, she dropped her head on his broad shoulder and felt him resting his chin on the top of her head. She smiled into his shirt.

"This feels nice."

She could have sworn she heard his heart beat a little faster.

"Yeah, it really does."

They returned to their usual comfortable silence and Temperance frowned, wondering if she'd look back on this as just another moment she let pass her by. She swallowed hard, trying to summon the courage to tell him something, anything, about the way she really felt. It was now or never.

His voice stopped her own.

"They're serving dinner downstairs in about ten minutes if you want something to eat. Everyone's still on lock-down but classes are going to resume as normal tomorrow morning. The recruits and instructors can't leave the premises but at least they can get out of their rooms."

She nodded, sitting up straight as she accepted the fact that the moment had gone.

"I suppose I should eat something."

She stretched out her tired muscles, the blanket slipping off her shoulders. Booth grinned as he pulled her to her feet.

"And they say doctors make the worst patients."

Brennan frowned, scraping her hair up in to a high ponytail.

"I'm not an MD Booth, I have a PhD."

He rolled his eyes, his arm snaking around her waist to drag her from the dorm room before she had an opportunity to change her mind.

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Booth and Brennan strolled in to the dining room together, heading straight over to the group huddled around the table. Seeing Brennan walking over, they all immediately went silent and returned to their food without looking at her.

She sighed heavily, instantly knowing that they had been talking about her and the case. She felt Booth's hand on the small of her back, reassuring her that it was ok to move forward. She looked up at him, smiling tensely as she shook her head.

"I'm gonna grab something to eat."

She marched over to the cafeteria queue, painfully aware of the hundred's of cadets watching her pass by. Angela jumped to her feet, ready to run after her best friend until Booth laid a stern hand on her forearm.

"Just let her go, Ange. She's not ready yet."

She opened her mouth to protest but couldn't find the words. Instead, she just nodded and walked towards the door. Frowning, Hodgins dumped his tray of food and rushed after her.

Booth slid in to the now vacant seat beside Katie as Zach made his excuses and left, mumbling something about boiling bones. Booth just dropped his head in to his hands as Katie gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

"It'll work out alright in the end, Seeley. It always does."

He raised his head, his eyes practically pleading with her.

"I'm not sure if it can this time. Katie, the things this guy has done. The murder, the message, the photo, the ring… Bones is in a tailspin and I haven't got a clue how to help her out of it."

She smiled and he felt a little more at ease.

"You're there for her and she knows it. That's all that matters right now, that's all you can do."

He felt his eyes instinctively search for Brennan, feeling a small sense of relief as he found her. He watched as she tucked loose tendrils of hair behind her ear. She was usually so confident and strong but tonight…

He sighed heavily, turning to Katie when he felt the weight of her stare.

"What?"

She smiled slightly.

"You really care about her, don't you?"

He shrugged. Even though Katie had basically been his rock throughout his FBI training, he knew she would always basically be a shrink at heart and he wasn't big on the West Coast style must-share-all-my-feelings-right-this-second mumbo jumbo.

"Of course I care. She's my partner."

Katie offered up a sly grin.

"She's more than that and you know it. The way you look at her…"

She tailed off, following his gaze back to Brennan.

"She doesn't have a clue, does she?"

Booth stayed silent. He wasn't ready to talk about this, wasn't even ready to really admit to it. Beside him, Katie snorted with laughter.

"Jesus, Seeley. Neither do you."

She shook her head in mild disbelief, and returned to her dessert. He didn't know what to say, feeling the eyes of the recruits on him, wondering whether or not they should ask him about the dead body in the lecture hall and the rumours of a cryptic message. He silently willed them to stay away.

Getting to his feet, Booth was about to wander over to his partner when he saw a familiar figure beat him to it. Slowly sitting back down, he watched as Nate moved up behind Brennan, placing a hand on the small of her back and offering to carry her tray. Booth just shook his head, letting sarcastic thoughts run through his mind.

_Always the gentleman…_

"Booth?"

He ignored Doctor Harwood, choosing to continue watching his partner giggling girlishly at something his mentor had just said. He knew he couldn't deny the feeling that was grabbing at his stomach was jealously, but he knew he couldn't admit it to anyone either. There was too much to lose.

"Booth…"

Katie grabbed his face with one hand, forcing him to look at her. She smiled, obvious understanding in her eyes.

"Either tell her how you feel or resign yourself to the fact that she's going to find herself another man. It's your choice, Seeley. Personally, I suggest you take a risk."

Her eyes grew sad as her voice became quiet and fragile.

"Don't miss your moment."

Grabbing her tray and getting to her feet, she gave her old friend a stern look.

"You only ever really regret the things you _didn't_ do."

He watched her go, wondering just who she missed her moment with. Turning back to the cafeteria queue, he swallowed his pride and decided to say something to his partner. He scanned the queue for Brennan and Nate, his heart sinking.

He was too late. She'd already gone.

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Nate's friendly demeanour had calmed Brennan's nerves, distracting her from all the eyes boring into her back and gossiping about the case. She felt his hand easily take the now familiar position at the small of her back as he took her tray, placing it down on the side.

"Look Temperance, do you want to take a walk? You know, get away from all these prying eyes."

She smiled as she glanced over a shoulder at the rows and rows of cadets who quickly averted their gaze. Nate had a point, there were a lot of people staring at them, and suddenly it bothered her again, his hand now feeling awkward on her back. That was where Booth always touched her, his way of guiding her.

She turned around, her eyes searching the dining hall for her partner. Her heart sank when she saw him.

Booth was staring deep in to Katie's eyes, her hand cupping his face as she leaned in close to say something with a smile.

_How could I not have seen this coming? This was why the two of them were so friendly together. He'd found someone he had a sexual rapport with, the very advice that I gave to him. Plus, she was blonde…_

Swallowing hard, Brennan turned back to Nate.

"Sure, let's take a walk."

He let her guide her out of the dining room, it taking all the will in the world not to look back at her partner, still wishing it was him by her side instead.

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Booth wandered through the glass corridors, lost in his thoughts, the moonlight creating an eerie shadow following him through the buildings.

Crossing in to the main lobby, he paused in the centre. Looking up, the moon beams highlighted the inscriptions around the atrium.

_Fidelity, Bravery, Integrity. My FBI._

For the first time he could ever remember, seeing the roots of his noble profession did little to make him feel better. He stared upwards, absently playing with the religious medal round his neck, waiting for some kind of answer he didn't really expect to get.

Suddenly, familiar voices carried through the lobby on the cool breeze. Frowning, he moved to the main entrance, leaning on the door jamb as his eyes scanned the darkness, eventually resting on Brennan and Nate perched on the edge of the fountain, chatting and laughing together.

Straining his ears, he still couldn't hear what was being said but he didn't need to. The blatant flirting said it all. He was about to turn away when he saw Nate lean forward, brushing the stray hairs away from her perfect face. Booth felt his jaw tighten, his eyes narrowing.

_He's still leaning in. He's making a move on her! Today of all days, after everything she's just been through, he's actually making a move on her?_

Booth was about to rush forward when a sudden realisation stopped him in his tracks. Brennan was leaning in too.

Seeing his partner kissing his mentor, something snapped within him and he didn't even notice as his feet pounded across Hoover Road, heading straight towards Hogan's Alley. His fist gripping the poker chip in his jeans pocket with white knuckles, Booth stopped in front of the casino. The lights were on, the sounds of laughter calling him inside.

He stood there, staring at the flashing neon sign above his head, not sure what to do. Part of him begged him to go inside, to just let the euphoria take hold as he took his chance on the dice. The other part of him told him not to do it, that he needed to be a better man for Temperance, especially now she needed him to be strong.

The sight of her kissing Nate flooded his vision.

Swallowing hard, he stepped across the threshold, no longer caring about the consequences.

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**A/N: Ok, angsty moments over. At least for now… Stay tuned kiddo. Will Booth really gamble? Will Nate and Brennan really get it on? Will they ever go back to actually investigating the case? All will be revealed in your next exciting chapter! Well, some of it will at least… Don't forget, reviews are my oxygen. I will DIE without them….**


	8. The Morning After

**A/N: Ok, some people liked the OTT angst in the last chapter, some people really didn't. All your comments (and theories on where I'm going with this) are very much appreciated. I'm in a better mood today so it should hopefully be a little less angsty. As usual, please let me know what you think! Or else….!**

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It took Temperance a few minutes to realise just what she was doing. She was kissing Agent Rouse. She was kissing her partner's mentor.

Booth's words echoed in her mind.

_"It might all be anthropology to you, Bones, but there are some people you just can't sleep with."_

Pulling away, she tried to offer him a smile although she knew it wasn't too convincing. For a moment, he looked surprised but it was soon replaced with a smile and a look of understanding. He sighed and shuffled a small distance away from her, trying to show her some respect in giving her space.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have let that happen. It's just... It's just not a good time."

He smiled and shook his head.

"No, Temperance. It's me that needs to apologise. After everything you've been through today with this case, the messages and all of that, I was out of line. I just find it hard to resist a woman as beautiful and intelligent as you."

She smiled at the compliment but the reminder of the case had brought it all flooding back. She had been looking for comfort, some sort of reassurance that she was still wanted in the wake of this murder. It was unsurprising to her that she had found it with the dominant alpha male, an older man with authority and power in his surroundings.

Brennan ran her hand across her face, swallowing hard. Nate just laid a friendly hand on her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. She knew he was just being supportive, nothing more.

Turning to look at him, she struggled to find the words she needed to say.

"I just don't understand what's going on. The fact that someone has been killed purely to pull me in to some kind of game… It makes no sense to me."

Nate just nodded slowly and when he finally spoke, Brennan could tell he was picking his words carefully, doing his best not to make her feel uncomfortable or awkward.

"Temperance, I'm here if you want to talk it all through with me. I mean, I brought you out here for a walk so we can do both if you like."

She paused, considering her options for a minute. Although he was suggesting a stroll through a deserted patch of woodland in the middle of the night, she had little concern for her safety. She knew she could easily defend herself against an attack, not that she thought he was actually going to try anything. He genuinely seemed concerned and wanted to help.

Sighing, Brennan got to her feet. Talking to Booth about the case would be full of his gut instincts and assumptions, while a conversation with Angela would be more concerned about dealing with her friend's feelings. With Nate, she knew she could be both analytical and honest.

He stood up beside her, offering her his arm. She took it with a smile and they wandered off through the tree line.

After walking in silence for five minutes, she could feel that Nate wanted to start the conversation again. Sighing, she saved him the trouble.

"I guess I'm surprised that something like this could ever happen at Quantico of all places."

He snorted with laughter in the darkness.

"You're not the only one. It's been a shock to everybody here. The fact that one of us could do something like this…"

"Did you know Agent McAvoy well?"

She felt him shrug beside her.

"Pretty well I suppose. He was here before me and retired last year. Katie and him were pretty close though."

"Were they romantically involved?"

Nate took a moment to think about this.

"No, at least I don't think so. They spent a lot of time together, but then so do you and Booth and you're not 'involved' so to speak."

Brennan knew he was fishing for information and decided to instead focus on the evidence that they had garnered.

"I assume you've read the message in McAvoy's book?"

He paused, obviously not sure how to broach the subject.

"Yes. I've also seen the photograph and the ring you retrieved. I'm so sorry, Temperance."

She felt her jaw clench as she remembered the happy faces staring up from the picture. She shoved her heart back in its box. She had to stay detached.

"What do you make of it all?"

"Well, it's obvious that whoever's doing this is intent on putting you on the defensive. Your reputation is that you're practically a miracle worker when it comes to solving these sorts of crimes so the killer's likely trying to put you off. That said, he also seems to have focused his attentions on you. You're the opponent in this twisted little game of his, the one he's both giving clues to and trying to beat."

He laughed hoarsely in the darkness.

"Listen to me, I sound like Katie."

Brennan shrugged slightly.

"I assume the profile that she's working on will largely focus on the fact that he appears to have some kind of obsession with me. I've been forced to play games with killers before. I didn't like it then, and I don't like it now."

They broke through the tree line, wandering down towards Hogan's Alley. Nate sighed heavily.

"Well, hopefully we won't have to play his games too much longer. We'll find out who did this."

His confidence did little to reassure her so she focused on the facts.

"Zach should have the victim's bones ready for examination by the morning and Hodgins will likely have the tox results back too. We'll know more then, hopefully before the killer keeps his promise."

Nate frowned, stopping to look at her face on.

"His promise?"

She nodded, reciting part of the rhyme he had left for her.

"'One for sorrow, two for Joy, three for an answer, fourth is the toy.' He plans on having four victims."

Nate almost seemed to shiver at the realisation of the riddle as he bent down to tie his shoelace.

Standing at the head of Hogan's Alley, movement caught Brennan's eye. Glancing back down the street, she saw a familiar figure exit the brightly lit casino, the poker chip he was flicking in his right hand glinting under the neon lights. She felt her heart sink as she watched Booth disappear in to the darkness.

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The alarm clock buzzed angrily on the bedside table. Flinging an arm out from under the covers, Booth's fist practically beat it into submission.

Rolling on to his back and staring up at the sterile ceiling of the dorm room, he ran a tired hand across his face as he tried to shake the groggy feeling from his mind.

Slowly, he remembered where he was and why, the case they were working flooding back to him.

But then he remembered what had happened the night before. Seeing the two of them together had hurt and he wasn't willing to explain to her why. That's why he'd ended up back at Hogan's Alley, staring up at the faux casino that had started all his problems.

He flung his legs over the side of the bed, hunching over as he dropped his head in his hands. He could hear the whir of the roulette wheel, the clinking of chips, the chiming of the one-armed bandits, the thud of the dice, the exhilarated laughter of the punters…

He had stood there for what seemed like hours, watching the recruits learning the ropes. He had hoped they wouldn't use it like he did, that it wouldn't become their escape and their curse.

He had moved to the black jack table to watch, automatically counting cards in his head, doing the calculations of necessary risks that needed to be taken in the game, his pulse racing. He hadn't even noticed that he'd sat down until the dealer smiled at him, asking if he wanted to play.

He wished that he'd said yes.

Instead, he politely declined and walked away, flicking the poker chip he always kept with him as he returned to his dorm.

Just because she'd turned away from him, it didn't mean that he was going to turn away from her. He was stronger than that.

Grabbing his towel slung over the back of a chair, he padded across the old carpet to the bathroom. Turning on the shower, Booth clambered inside and sighed as the hot water washed over his shoulders.

He just wished it was as easy to wash away the guilt.

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Temperance enjoyed her new morning ritual, her feet pounding across the obstacle course. It gave her time to think, to evaluate the situation at hand.

As soon as she had woken up that morning, she had wanted to call Booth. Sitting there on the bed, her finger had hovered above his speed dial for at least five minutes before she finally replaced the cell phone on her bedside table.

_I only saw him leaving the casino. That doesn't mean he gambled._

She sighed as she ran, weaving through the trees as the morning light reflected off the honey-coloured buildings at the top of the hill ahead. If he wanted to talk about his problems then he would, she didn't want to force him. After all, he had other friends here. Like Katie…

_I only saw them being friendly. That doesn't mean he slept with her._

Brennan swallowed hard, charging onwards, the cold air burning her throat. It wasn't like she could be mad at him if he had relented. She had looked for comfort too, finding it briefly in the arms of Agent Rouse. And anyway, she was only his partner. It was none of her business.

Her thoughts turned back to the case at hand. After breakfast, she was going to return to the autopsy suite. Zach had left her message the night before saying the bones and the tox reports would be ready by then. She needed to find the answers, figure out the truth.

Although she was still worried about the reasons for the clues the killer had left, the conversation she shared with Booth the previous day had reassured her that her father was not involved. She cursed herself for even considering the possibility that he had been.

_What other choice did I have? His wedding ring, the photo… He had a man killed in prison, he deserted me and Russ. Who knows if he's actually a good man?_

Shaking her head, she turned her thoughts back to the case. The message scrawled in the book implied that there would be more victims. She wondered when the next one would come.

Breaking through the trees into an open area, Brennan found her answer.

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**A/N: Sorry this is shorter than normal but I'm really meant to be doing other things and I just wanted everyone to know that Booth did NOT gamble. See, he's a good boy really! And yes, dead body number two is in the next chapter which will hopefully be up sometime this evening. I'm not going to beg today but please do review!**


	9. Two For Joy

**A/N: I feel I should point out that there are some religious references in this chapter and that I have tried to use them as tastefully as possible within the context. I myself am a Catholic (admittedly a rather lapsed one but a Catholic nonetheless) and it is not my intent to offend anyone with what I've written. If you do have a problem with it (or if you think it works), please do let me know.**

**And on a far less serious note, bring out the cheerleaders, Ava. We got ourselves an update! **

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Temperance came to a sudden stop in the clearing, her eyes narrowing at what she saw. 

In front of her loomed an enormous wooden wall, used by the recruits during their physical training. From the top of the wall hung several ropes to help the trainee agents to scramble over the obstacle. Except the ropes were performing a different purpose now.

Brennan edged forward slowly, careful not to disturb any potential evidence as she stared up at her gruesome discovery. She breathed through her mouth, her senses assaulted by the smell.

The ropes were tied around the victim's wrists, holding the body up against the wooden slats. The feet were tied with another rope, and the position immediately reminded Brennan of the crucifixion. Except no-one had ever set the son of God on fire.

The smell clung to her as she took another step forward, staring down at the ground beneath the body. There were numerous footprints and drag marks, accompanied by the potent smell of gasoline. Brennan followed the imprints across the clearing to an area betraying obvious signs of a struggle.

She turned back to face the victim, her eyes patrolling the full length of the corpse. Seeing something on the charred remains of the victim's chest, she quickly approached. An envelope had been pinned to what was left of a shirt. It was addressed to her.

Resisting the urge to read it, she dug her cell phone out of the pocket of her sweats and called her partner.

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Booth was sat on the edge of the bed, turning his religious medallion over and over in his hands. He wasn't praying, not exactly. He was just hoping that he would be able to keep resisting temptation, in every form he found it in.

The shrill ring of his cell phone dragged his focus back to the dorm room. He leaned over to the nightstand and glanced at the caller ID. It was Brennan.

He paused for a moment, not sure if he should answer. He was worried that he would say something he might regret, mainly about her and Nate. Shaking his head, he flicked open the phone, knowing he was just being an idiot.

"Good morning Bones. Wanting breakfast?"

There was a pause before she answered, her voice hard.

"He's done it again. I've just found the second victim."

Booth jumped to his feet, snatching his leather jacket off the back of the door as he jogged down the corridor.

"Where are you?"

"About half a mile from the main lobby. I'm in a clearing on the obstacle course. The body is strung up to a wooden wall, badly burnt."

He knew exactly where she meant. He always hated that wall. It gave him splinters every time.

"I'll be there in five minutes. Call Zach and Hodgins. I'll get Angela."

There was another pause. He could almost see her frowning down the phone.

"What about Agent Rouse?"

Booth stopped outside Angela's door, swallowing hard.

"I thought he might already be with you."

He heard her sigh quietly and knew she realised he had seen her with him.

"He's not here, Booth. I went for a run on my own."

He nodded to himself as he knocked on the door.

"So give him a call. I'll be there in five."

He hung up before they had to broach the subject of Nate properly. With another murder to investigate, he didn't want the distraction.

Angela yawned as she opened the door, her bleary eyes looking him up and down with mild surprise.

"What's up?"

"We've got another one."

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Temperance was crouched down examining the ground around the victim when Booth charged in to the clearing. He slowed down as he moved round to where she was waiting, his eyes never leaving the body, his brows knitted together in a severe frown.

Brennan straightened up as he reached her side, offering a grim smile as she gestured around her.

"From what I can tell, the victim was attacked over there before being dragged over to this wall. There are a lot of distinct footprints that Hodgins can take casts of. The victim was likely strung up before she was set fire to."

Booth's eyes locked on to hers.

"She?"

"Yes. The hips make it clear that the victim is a female. Judging by what's left of body mass and observable bone structure, she was likely Caucasian, athletic, and in her late twenties to early thirties. Obviously, I'll be able to narrow down age and other particulars once I can get a better look at the bones."

Booth nodded, his eyes drawn to the envelope attached to the victim's chest. He moved closer, reading the one word scrawled in the now familiar handwriting. He turned back to face his partner.

"Temperance…"

She swallowed hard but held his gaze.

"I know... I don't have any gloves or forensic equipment so no, I haven't read it."

He moved back towards her, the concern obvious in his eyes. He opened his mouth to say something but was quickly cut off as Nate led Hodgins, Zach and Angela through the trees.

Nate immediately rushed to Brennan's side while Angela hung back, looking slightly disturbed by the sight in front of her.

"Are you alright, Temperance?"

She nodded at him, slightly uncomfortable in his presence. She had felt fine the night before, walking and talking with him, despite their kiss. But now Booth had implied he knew…

"I'm fine, thank you."

She moved away from him, ignoring both his and Booth's eyes as she accepted a pair of latex gloves from Zach. Snapping them on to her hands, she crossed to Angela.

"We need a face. The victim's badly burnt."

Angela sighed heavily.

"It'll be easier in the lab. You know, when it's not swinging around up there and I can examine the skull better."

Brennan nodded.

"Do me a favour, Ange. Can you go back up to the autopsy suite and check the tox reports are back on the other victim? Also, alert the other doctors that we need to bring in a second body."

Angela nodded, knowing that her best friend was just giving her an excuse to leave. She offered up a thankful smile as she turned away. Brennan watched as Hodgins intercepted her, whispering something in her ear before she disappeared back through the trees with a slight smile.

She caught Hodgins' eye but he quickly turned away, scurrying after Zach who was photographing the body in situ.

Brennan moved to Booth's side as he snapped on his own pair of latex gloves. Giving her a sombre look, he reached out and removed the envelope. It was large but still relatively pristine, obviously having been placed there after the fire died down.

He paused, the weight of what he was holding lying heavy on his heart. His eyes locked with Brennan's.

"Do you want me to open it?"

She shook her head and he passed it to her. Aware that everyone was now watching her intently, she took a steadying breath and opened it up, sliding out the solitary piece of white card and reading the message aloud.

_"This makes two for Joy_

_To play with on her table._

_Next an answer, then a toy,_

_Are you sure you're really able?_

_Your biggest fan, always,_

_Peter Menac."_

She stared at the message, a bitter taste in her mouth at the fact he had called her Joy. She turned the card over and frowned.

Written in bold letters were just two lines. She read them out loud.

"I Corinthians 3:13, Peter 5:8."

Her eyes locked with Booth's.

"Are they bible passages?"

Her partner nodded slowly, a glint of anger in his eyes as he recited the verses word for word.

" _'Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire, and the fire shall try every man's work for what sort it is_.' That's Corinthians 3:13."

Brennan watched the muscles in his jaw clench tightly as he sighed.

"And Peter 5:8?"

He turned his eyes back to hers and she was scared to see the coldness there.

" _'Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may devour_.' "

Hodgins looked up from where he was carefully making casts of the footprints around the wall.

"How do you know this stuff?"

Booth folded his arms across his chest, his jaw set and his eyes narrow as he glared up at the corpse.

"I'm Catholic. And some sick and twisted bastard is using the bible as an excuse for what he's doing."

Brennan frowned as she stepped toward him.

"An excuse?"

He nodded slowly.

"The Corinthians quote. He's saying he used the fire as a tool for judgement against whoever this poor woman was and whatever she did to piss him off. The rest of it is just a warning, telling us that he's here amongst us. But then, we knew that already."

Brennan sighed as she watched Zach carefully retrieving evidence with tweezers as Booth looked on.

She had often marvelled at the incredible power and strength that faith seemed to give people. Science was her religion, it's structured equations her prayers. But to look at Booth now, to see the anguish this message had caused him personally, Brennan realised that the power of faith was not always a good thing. Sometimes it hurt.

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Angela wandered out of the autopsy suite after giving the doctor the heads up of the new arrival. Marching down the corridor, she paused at the window to the lab next door.

Katie Harwood was sat at a large table, crime scene photographs and evidence spread out in front of her. Her head in her hands, she looked like she was on the verge of tears.

Angela quietly pushed the door open, a sympathetic smile on her face as Katie looked up with blood-shot eyes.

"Hey. You alright?"

The profiler sighed heavily, leaning back in the chair as she ran a tired hand across her face.

"I think I'm just in need of a good cup of coffee."

"There's a vending machine down the hall. Do you want me to get you some?"

Katie smiled as she shook her head.

"Thanks for the offer, Miss Montenegro, but federal coffee is more like toxic waste than anything else."

"I know what you mean. And please, call me Angela."

Grinning, Angela slid on to the stool on the other side of the table, delicately moving a large microscope out of her way. She frowned over the pile of photographs, looking at the stream of notes Katie had written.

"Have you been here all night?"

Katie glanced up at the clock on the wall to her right, looking slightly surprised.

"Wow, I guess I have. But I think I've made some progress on the profile."

She rearranged the evidence, laying it out in front of Angela in a hasty presentation. Yawning, she proceeded to explain.

"The killer's focus is obviously on Doctor Brennan. All the intentional clues he left behind are directed at her. There is anger in his motives, making me think there might some kind of personal connection, hence the use of her family. The photographs and the wedding ring together with the use of her real name suggest that he is trying to exert emotional control over her."

"So basically, he's just like every jealous guy I've ever dated."

Katie smiled and nodded slowly.

"I know exactly what you mean… The first victim he likely chose due to his connection to Quantico, showing that this was all planned to be part of her visit. Of course, that was pretty obvious from the beginning."

Katie paused, staring down at the photograph of Agent McAvoy's body slumped over in the lecture hall. Seeing the pain building in the psychologist's eyes, Angela leaned over, laying a reassuring hand on her forearm.

"I'm so very sorry for your loss."

Doctor Harwood blinked rapidly, fighting back the tears as she continued.

"The use of the rhyme obviously suggests that he is planning further victims, extending the game. He wants Doctor Brennan to challenge him, to prove that despite her reputation, he can beat her. The use of 'One for Sorrow' predicts her emotional reaction to the clues he has left for her, manipulating her feelings about her past. The fact that he left some of these clues in Howard's…. in the _victim's_ throat would partially imply his need for the dramatic and a suggestion that the truth has been silenced by blocking the means to talk. This could mean that any intent to finish the game before he is ready would also be silenced."

Angela nodded slowly as she listened to what Katie was saying, absolutely fascinated. The psychologist pointed at the next phrase scrawled across the cover of McAvoy's book.

"The use of the phrase 'Two for Joy' serves multiple purposes. Firstly, it obviously implies a second victim, meaning that Doctor Brennan will have two bodies to deal with. Secondly, it is drawing attention to Temperance's background by using her original name. Thirdly, it is implying the excitement that he is feeling with his actions, his _joy_ at being able to control the game and lead the investigation any way he wishes."

Angela swallowed hard, remembering the scene on the obstacle course.

"Doctor Brennan's already found the second victim. The crispy critter was tied up to a wooden wall out in the woods. They're bringing it in now."

Katie's eyes widened, her focus elsewhere, her voice distant in reply.

"Am I right in thinking that Doctor Brennan has taken to early morning runs before breakfast?"

"Yes, she says it clears her head."

"Then the killer obviously knew this, placing the second victim somewhere he knew she would find it… Just like he knew of her past from the FBI file, where he got the photo… But then the ring must be… The body was burnt?"

Angela nodded, watching the profiler's thought process as she jotted down incoherent notes.

"Fire of judgement… Cleansing… The body was tied to the wall? How?"

The artist blinked rapidly. As much as she would have rather not have revisited that image in her mind, she had barely been able to escape it anyway.

"With the arms spread and feet tied together, like the victim had been crucified."

Katie gave a satisfied nod.

"Of course!"

Angela watched her with confusion.

"Of course, what? What does all this tell you? What kind of man could do all this?"

Katie blinked rapidly, her focus dragged back at the conversation at hand.

"Well, this man is probably in his mid to late thirties, Caucasian, athletic, likely having grown cynical about his position in both his job and the world at large over the years. He is fastidious in nature, analytical, educated and charming. I'm sad to say he obviously has a role in law enforcement and has convinced himself that he is only conducting his actions due to the way others have treated him. He sees himself as something of a Christ figure, a special man who the world has shunned and punished for no reason that he can understand. Somehow, this has led to some sort of connection to Doctor Brennan, possibly due to her books, thereby pouring his frustrations on to her."

Katie frowned, looking down at her notes.

"Of course, she is a powerful and successful woman, suggesting that there might be an issue there, most likely a dominant matriarch in his childhood. He is probably angry that this _woman_ has managed to achieve so much, probably more than he ever will, hence his need to compete against her and show that he is better than her in the end."

She paused a frown creasing her delicate features.

"That handwriting… The word structure…"

She tailed off, staring down at the evidence in front of her, her eyes darting about over the photographs and notes.

"Oh my God…"

Angela leaned forward, curious what was going through the profiler's mind. Katie's head snapped up, her eyes wide.

"I think I know who it is…"

Angela swallowed hard, surprised at the revelation.

"Who?"

But Katie had already raced out of the door, leaving Angela just staring after her. Throwing her hands up in exasperation, she shook her head.

"Now that's just not fair…"

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A/N: On a side note, the body on the obstacle course was originally going to be Katie when I was first thinking this up (as a couple of people guessed) but damnit, I've grown to like her! And yes, it's highly unlikely a profiler would have that much insight straight away but I really don't care. It's fiction! Anyway, me off to go get muchos drunkos... Don't worry, I'm sure I'll manage an update through the hangover tomorrow. Though it largely depends on how many encouraging reviews I receive... Hee hee, catch ya later alligator!**


	10. Two Bodies In The Lab

**A/N: Sorry this took longer than normal to get to you but I was working through the pain of the biggest hangover of my life. Yes, it's all my own fault but it was so much fun! At least, last night it was… Please review, if only so I have a reason not to keep kneeling at the porcelain altar… Someone help me…. Ugh…**

**To make up for the delay, it's even longer than normal. Let's see how many people actually make it through the techno mumbo jumbo… As usual, please please please review. I had real trouble with this one so I'd like to know what you all make of it!**

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Doctor Brennan marched in to the autopsy suite, Agent Booth matching her step for step as he flicked through a thick FBI file. Stopping at the side of the examination table, Hodgins brushed past with an armful of delicately balanced evidence bags as Booth put his hand out to lean on the side, receiving a look of frustration from Zach.

"Don't touch the table!"

Booth flinched as if he'd just touched hot coals. Offering up a sheepish grin, he turned to Brennan who was busy slipping on a lab coat and latex gloves.

"According to the base's security records, Agent McAvoy signed in as a VIP guest the morning of your lecture at… 6:47am. He was planning on getting breakfast, I guess."

Brennan frowned as she crossed over to the table of bones, the skeleton having been carefully laid out by Zach over night.

"A VIP guest? Does that mean that he was here at someone else's invitation?"

Booth flicked through pages, his finger running down the list.

"Yes. He was an official guest of Doctor Harwood's."

Booth swallowed hard. That sort of information would normally make her a prime suspect. But it was _Katie_… He tried to avoid the look in Brennan's eye.

Before she had a chance to speak, the doctor from the previous day entered the suite, blinking in surprise at the number of people in the room.

"Doctor Brennan, I wasn't expecting to see you all so soon."

"I apologise, Doctor… I'm sorry, I can't remember your name."

He smiled, though there was slight disappointment in his pale eyes.

"Doctor Reynolds, but please just call me Gavin."

He reached out to shake her hand as Booth stepped forward, his eyes narrowed.

"Any relation to trainee Reynolds?"

The doctor blinked rapidly behind his horn-rimmed glasses, a slow smile spreading across his face as he offered his hand.

"You must be Agent Booth. And yes, he's my son. He was at the lecture hall when you found Agent McAvoy's body. He's very upset, as are we all."

He shook his head slowly, obviously still shocked by the news. Brennan watched him, her eyes examining the architecture of the pasty complexion pulled taught across sharp features, his pale watery eyes reminding her of a vole. There was a definite family resemblance between the man in front of her and the twitchy recruit from the auditorium.

Doctor Reynolds crossed the room to a long table, sliding on to a stool next to Hodgins who was examining pieces of gravel under the microscope.

"I'm just waiting for the second body to arrive. Do you mind if I observe until then?"

Brennan moved round to the head of the examination table, nodding absently.

"Of course not, Doctor Reynolds."

He grinned excitedly, glancing at Hodgins with a look of childlike glee in his eyes.

"Oh goodie, a chance to see how the magic happens!"

Hodgins rolled his eyes skyward while Booth just tried to hide his laughter with a cough. Brennan shot him a look but Reynolds seemed totally oblivious.

Despite feeling slightly uncomfortable under the doctor's intense gaze, Brennan turned her attention to Hodgins.

"Any progress with the trace evidence?"

He hopped off the stool with a bag full of small stones.

"Yes, it's gravel."

Booth shook his head in disbelief.

"Ok, even I knew that."

Hodgins just ignored him.

"The trace left in the wounds on the victim's palms was obviously gravel, but on closer inspection, I realised that this was actually piedmont gravel which was very exciting."

It was Doctor Reynold's turn to chime in.

"I'm sorry, how exactly is gravel exciting?"

Hodgin's bit his lip for a moment, his knuckles tightening around the evidence bag before he continued, his attention purely on Doctor Brennan. Booth couldn't help but smile. He was starting to like Doctor Reynolds.

"Piedmont gravel consists of coarse stones carried from high ground by rivers and alike, often being distributed throughout smaller streams. When we first arrived at Quantico, I noticed there was a small stream on the edge of the obstacle course that was lined with these types of stones. However, the trace on Agent McAvoy's hands also included pine needles. When we arrived at the second crime scene, I noticed similar gravel lining the path to the right of the obstacle wall and what do you know, it's right underneath a pine tree."

Doctor Brennan nodded, looking at the small stones that Hodgins was waving at her.

"So both our victims were killed at the same place on the obstacle course."

Hodgins grinned at Booth as he triumphantly took his place back on the stool.

"I just broke the case, didn't I?"

Booth ignored him, obviously deep in thought.

"That's his killing zone."

Brennan frowned at him.

"A killing zone?"

Booth's head snapped up, his eyes automatically locking with his partner's.

"Yeah, somewhere that he feels safe, comfortable and secure. It would be somewhere he'd have scouted on numerous occasions, checking the rounds of the MPs or the amount of foot traffic for example. It's a secluded area hidden from view from the main buildings so it makes sense."

Brennan didn't want to think about how Booth knew about a killer's train of thought. She knew that as a sniper, he had been ordered to do things that haunted him to this very day, forcing him to become a federal agent in a noble attempt at redemption and absolution.

She blinked rapidly, turning her gaze on to her grad student who was busy looking through a thin manila file.

"Zach?"

"The victim's blood alcohol level was .28."

Booth's eyebrows practically shot through the roof.

"_Point twenty eight_? Are you sure?"

Zach nodded as Hodgins just stared at the rest of the group blankly.

"Is that bad?"

Zach offered his usual staccato response.

"Many physiologically active materials are removed from the bloodstream whether by metabolism or excretion at a rate proportional to the current concentration, so that they exhibit exponential decay with - "

Booth cut him off with an impatient look

"The legal driving limit is 0.08 and by 0.30, most people would be unconscious. So yeah, that's bad."

Hodgins nodded.

"See Zach, why couldn't you just say that?"

The grad student frowned.

"I did."

Brennan looked at her partner.

"Do the guards make a habit of letting drunks in to Quantico?"

Booth opened his mouth to answer but Doctor Reynolds beat him to it.

"I'm afraid to say that it's common knowledge that Agent McAvoy was an alcoholic. He retired from his post before they could fire him for it. He had become incredibly adept at hiding his lack of sobriety."

Zach looked up from the file as Temperance stared down at the bones in front of her.

"Doctor Brennan, the victim was in the process of metabolising a sizeable dose of analgesics."

Booth glanced at his partner.

"Translation?"

Brennan answered without even looking up from the bones she was examining.

"He was on prescription painkillers."

"Ok. Zach, try and remember that not everyone in the room gets the geek speak."

Zach ignored the agent.

"The victim had taken a large amount of morphine, Doctor Brennan."

Frowning, she turned to Doctor Reynolds.

"Did Agent McAvoy have any history of substance abuse?"

He shrugged.

"Not to my knowledge, though I know he suffered from back pain over the years."

Brennan turned her attention back to the skeleton in front of her, a gloved finger hovering above the spine. She waved Zach over.

"Do you see the low bone mass and the structural deterioration of the bone tissue?"

He nodded slowly, understanding what she was getting at.

"He had osteoporosis."

Brennan's eyes patrolled the bones.

"That would have caused this vertebral compression, leading to his need for narcotics."

Booth blinked rapidly.

"Huh?"

Brennan pointed at the spine in front of her.

"Agent McAvoy's osteoporosis caused his bones to deteriorate to the point that his vertebrae collapsed, much like a sponge collapses under the pressure of your hand. It would have caused a severe, band-like pain that radiated from the spine around both sides of his body. That would be why he was medicated on morphine and possibly why he started drinking."

Booth spoke without looking at Brennan.

"Bones, he was a field agent for twenty years and a soldier long before that. It's not always the physical pain you have to find a way to cope with."

She watched him then, his shoulders slumped as he stared at the file in front of him while playing with that same old poker chip, and her heart went out to him.

"I know, Booth. I understand."

He raised his eyes to hers, the look they shared saying more than they would ever dare to put into words. Brennan cleared her throat, turning to Zach.

"What about the bullet?"

"I ran it through the database here, Doctor Brennan. It came back to Agent McAvoy's service revolver."

She nodded slowly, her fingers carefully investigating a distinct impact to the back of the skull.

"For a man with such progressed osteoporosis, the smallest blow could have been fatal. However, the extent of damage from this head wound suggests a blow that would likely have killed a healthy man, creating a subdural haematoma and a relatively slow death."

She looked at Booth, the sequence of events beginning to solidify in her mind.

"So Agent McAvoy goes down to the obstacle course for whatever reason, though the back pain would suggest it probably wasn't to go for a run. Having already had a large amount to drink mixed with his morphine, he would have been easy to overpower, especially as the attack came from behind."

Hodgins stood, crossing the lab towards Brennan as he spoke.

"Dazed and dying, he would have fallen forward and broken his wrist as he hit the ground, creating the graze that filled with gravel and pine needles."

Zach nodded, stepping up to the plate.

"The subdural haematoma caused by the trauma to the head would have left him virtually unconscious, making it easy for the attacker to shove the screwed-up photograph and the ring down his throat."

The three turned to look at Booth as one, their faces expectant. He just shook his head at them.

"I thought I was the one who was supposed to do the assumptions."

Brennan grinned at him, patting him on the forearm.

"Well, we _squints_ learned from the best."

He grinned back.

"Then tell me how Agent McAvoy somehow got from the obstacle course to the lecture hall almost a mile away…"

The trio frowned until Zach suddenly yelled out "Golf!"

Booth just stared at him.

"Golf?"

"I mean, golf carts. Like the ones we used to get to Hogan's Alley on the tour. You could easily put a body across the back seat to transport it."

Booth shook his head, pretending to be on the verge of tears.

"My squints are getting all grown up. Soon they won't need me anymore. I just hope I taught them well…"

The doors crashed open behind them, ridding Booth of the chance to tell the scientists to leave the cop work to the cops.

Two men pushed a gurney in to the lab, handing over the paperwork for Doctor Reynolds to sign. Even with the body bag closed, they could all smell the stench of burnt flesh.

The men left, clipboards under their arms as they chatted animatedly about the previous night's football game, while Reynold's surreptitiously switched on the overhead fan, sucking the worst of the smell away.

He unzipped the body bag, carefully removing the body with Zach's help, and laying it on the examination table with a grimace. He looked down at the corpse for a moment, his head cocked to one side as his eyes roamed up and down.

He pulled a dictaphone from his pocket and proceeded to take notes.

"The female victim's severe burns would suggest an incredibly hot fire, most likely due to the use of accelerants."

He leant forward, sniffing at the corpse.

"From the smell, I would guess gasoline at this stage, though samples will be taken for proper analysis."

On cue, Hodgins leaned in from the other side, taking cotton swabs from various sections of the remains. Reynolds began to carefully examine the clothing as he continued talking into the recorder.

"The most severe burns and likely source of the fire appear in the area around the right hip, implying this was the point of ignition."

He moved up to the head.

"Dental records will be checked to assist in the identification of the victim who is, at this moment, beyond recognition. The victim…"

He tailed off, his hand reaching out to the victim's neck. Gingerly, he removed a partially melted and distinctly sooty gold necklace.

"It appears the victim's name was Joy."

Brennan's eyes widened. She could feel Booth's gaze on her as she passed an evidence bag to Reynolds, not looking at the jewellery in front of her.

Booth crossed over to a computer on the far side of the room, searching for details on any recruits at Quantico with the name Joy.

All the time he was typing, one phrase kept spinning round his mind.

_Two for Joy. Two for Joy. Two for Joy... The sick son of a bitch… Two for Joy._

Reynolds turned back to Temperance with a smile.

"Doctor Brennan, are there any observations you would like to make about the victim?"

She swallowed hard and focused on the job at hand.

"The victim is female, aged between 26 and 32, Caucasian and she used to be a ballet dancer, though she stopped sometime in her teens, replacing it with rock climbing."

Doctor Reynolds stared at her in disbelief.

"Seriously? You can get all that from this mess?"

She nodded, pointing at the victim's feet.

"Look at the arch of her foot. That shape is a result of the bones ossifying and muscles strengthening due to the use of pointe ballet shoes, enabling her to dance on the tips of her toes. The shape has begun to return to its original form however which would have taken years without practice. Instead, the shoulders have become more defined, indicating a great deal of upper-body work. What's left of the muscle structure would indicate rock climbing of some sort."

Reynolds just stared at her, his mouth wide open. Booth grinned at him as he returned from the computer.

"And there's the magic."

He returned his attention to his partner, his demeanour turning serious again.

"The only Joy on record at Quantico is a Joy Marshall, a trainee agent aged twenty eight. Of course, we'll need dental records to confirm it."

He locked eyes with Brennan.

"Bones, her minor at university was anthropology."

She just stared back at him, not sure what to say. In any other case that would just be a coincidence, but with all the evidence the killer had been leaving behind, it was clear that he had intentionally picked his victim because she was like her.

_Two for Joy. Two of me._

Angela sauntered into the room, a sly smile on her face.

"I thought I heard your dulcet tones, Booth, so come on, don't hold out on me."

He blinked rapidly.

"What?"

She glowered at him, hands on hips.

"The killer. Who is it?"

He glanced around the room at the others, all of whom were staring back with blank faces.

"I know I'm good Ange, but I'm not _that_ good."

"Don't flatter yourself, sweetie. I mean, who did Katie tell you it was?"

He frowned.

"I haven't spoken to her since last night."

"But she said she knew who the killer was and then she ran out of the room. I thought she was coming to tell you."

Booth felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end as he dug his cell phone out of his jacket pocket, quickly punching in Katie's number. It rang twelve times before switching to voicemail.

Snapping the phone shut, he turned to Brennan.

"She's not picking up."

Her eyes narrowed as she stared back at him.

"You don't think she'd confront whoever she suspects on her own, do you?"

Booth sighed, running a frustrated hand through his hair.

"She's a lot like you, Bones, of course she would."

He spun on his heel, pointing at Hodgins.

"You said the gravel definitely came from the area on the obstacle course where we found the second victim? That's his killing zone?"

Hodgins nodded.

"Yes but…"

Booth didn't hear the end of the sentence. He'd already run out of the door, Brennan right on his heels.

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Together, the two of them charged through the trees, slowing down as they approached the clearing, crime scene tape flapping in the breeze ahead. Without prompting, Booth removed the gun from his ankle holster and passed it to his partner with a grim smile.

"Maybe now you'll get to shoot something. Just make sure it's not me."

She took the gun, following her partner into the open area, her heart pounding in her chest. After a few seconds, Booth lowered his weapon.

_Nothing._

He threw his hands up in exasperation.

"I don't get it. Where is she?"

Brennan didn't answer. Turning to look at her, Booth waved an impatient hand in front of her face.

"Hello, Bones? Anyone home? We're meant to be looking for Katie."

She pointed over his shoulder. Turning round, Booth's eyes searched the area, seeing nothing until a slight movement caught his eye. Looking up, he saw that familiar face had turned a strange red, the lips displaying a tinge of blue as she swung under the branch, the noose tight around her neck.

Brennan swallowed hard, her face pale.

"I think we just found her."

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**A/N: Dun dun derrrrrrrrrr...! Is Katie really dead? Who is the killer? And can our favourite crime-fighting duo stop the murderous fiend before someone else dies? Tune in later today for your next hangover induced installment of (dramatic drum roll) The Man in the Lecture Hall! Though now I'm thinking it should be called 'The Man in the Lecture Hall and The Women in the Woods'... Kinda got a ring to it, dontcha think? Anyway, reviews, theories and general abuse are always welcome, begged for even, so please let me know what you think. I promise to update before the end of today!**


	11. Third For Answers

**A/N: Ok, so here's your latest offering. I'm afraid it's just a quickie before I have to go to bed. Sorry it's shorter than normal but you'll get a bumper deal tomorrow instead, scout's honour! As usual, thank you so much to everyone who's reviewed and offered up theories, you've really been keeping me going. Biggest thanks as ever to Ava, my muse!**

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Temperance stared upwards, her heart in her mouth, Booth deathly pale beside her. Blinking rapidly, he charged forwards, scrambling up the tree to the lowest branch. 

Regaining her focus, Brennan raced after him, grabbing hold of Katie's legs and hitching her upwards, trying to ease the pressure of the noose and making it easier for Booth to cut her down.

His body wrapped around the tree trunk, Booth pulled a penknife from his pocket and stretched out as far as he dared. Hacking at the rope, he finally felt it give way, almost crushing his partner under the weight of Katie's limp body.

Jumping back down, he fell to his knees beside the two women, his heart pounding so loud he could barely hear what his partner was saying.

"She's not breathing and I can't find a pulse."

Almost on autopilot, the pair began CPR with Brennan pushing on the profiler's chest as Booth locked his mouth over Katie's, offering up a silent prayer as he forced air into her starved lungs. Over and over, they pushed and breathed, pushed and breathed, hoping their sheer force of will was enough to bring her back.

Brennan looked at Booth as she continued the compressions. His eyes were wide and swimming in tears, his face still pale. She glanced at her watch. They'd been doing CPR for over five minutes and she had no idea how long Katie had been left there hanging.

Swallowing hard, Brennan removed her hands, her eyes locking with Booth's. He just stared at her in confusion.

"Seeley…"

He shook his head frantically, grabbing her wrists and forcing her hands back into position.

"No! She's not going to die, not like this."

He leaned forward again, breathing for Katie. Looking back up at his partner, his eyes were pleading.

"Temperance… It's _Katie_. Please..."

Brennan just nodded, restarting compressions and counting out loud as she stared down at the blonde, the rope now hanging loose around her collar bone.

_One…_

_She's way too pale, her lips are blue._

_Two…_

_Even if we do get her back, what's to say she won't have severe brain damage?_

_Three…_

_Why the hell did she face down a suspect all on her own, without even trying to reach Booth?_

_Four…_

_Her brain's been starved of oxygen. We have to let her go…_

_Five…_

_Katie…_

Booth leaned forward again, preparing to breathe for his friend when she suddenly coughed hoarsely, gasping for air. Booth jerked back, his eyes wide as he stared down at her.

Brennan wrapped her fingers round the profiler's wrist, monitoring the heartbeat as she tried to ignore the deafening pound in her own chest.

"Her pulse is weak and rapid."

Booth didn't seem to hear as he brushed blonde tendrils away from her forehead, a relieved smile spreading across his face as her eyes fluttered open.

Her lips were less blue now though her eyes were bloodshot and wide with fear. Her mouth moved, attempting to speak, but Booth laid a gentle hand on her cheek.

"Shhhh, Katie it's ok. You're ok. Everything's going to be fine."

A tear escaped out of the corner of her eye, rolling down her temple and disappearing in to her hair as she stared back up at him mutely. Her breathing was raspy, her throat ringed by an angry red mark where the noose had been.

As he scooped her up in to his arms, Brennan rocked back on her heels, running a relieved hand through her hair as she let out a long breath and attempted to steady herself.

The sound of breaking twigs caused her to spin round, pointing Booth's gun directly at the new arrival's chest.

Hodgins came skidding to a halt, his hands quickly reaching up in surrender as his eyes widened, though whether it was due to the sight of the gun or the fact that Zach and Angela had just charged right in to his back, Brennan wasn't sure.

She lowered the weapon, running a hand across her face and sighing heavily.

"I'm sorry Hodgins."

He just nodded, taking in the scene around him with a concerned gaze, his eyes finally falling on the blonde woman coughing loudly in Booth's arms.

"Is everyone ok?"

Brennan just nodded mutely.

_Ok? I'm still shaking… And as for Booth…_

She looked down at her partner. Although obviously relieved, he still looked terrified, his grip tight around his old friend. Brennan couldn't help but experience a strange feeling pulling at her chest. Seeing the way that Booth looked at Katie, his eyes smiling sadly, she refused to believe it was jealousy.

She turned back to her team, offering a grim smile. Angela looked terrified as she crossed to her best friend, sliding her arm through Brennan's and squeezing it tight, as much for her own reassurance as her friend's.

Hodgins sharp blue eyes bored in to Brennan's, theories surging through him.

"Whoever this bastard is, he strung her up to stop her from talking, didn't he? He's probably part of some government conspiracy. I mean how else could he commit all these crimes at Quantico? Has she said who it was yet?"

Before she could answer, Zach interrupted, pointing over her shoulder.

"Doctor Brennan, what's that?"

She followed his gaze, crossing the clearing to the base of the tree that Katie had been hanging from. A large piece of white card was poking out of the grass. Brennan's heart sank at the sight of the familiar handwriting.

Pulling a pair of latex gloves from her pocket, the anthropologist crouched down, retrieving the evidence warily as she felt Booth's eyes boring in to her back. She read the card out loud.

"_I set the game you're meant to play_

_And still you have defied me._

_The third for answers now you've lost_

_Hanging from this pine tree._"

She turned the card over, reading yet another bible passage.

"_A time to get, and a time to lose - Ecclesiastes 3:6_."

Brennan's eyes locked with Booth's who just stared at her mutely. She didn't know what to say, her frustration building at her lack of ability to find the words, the strength to help him. She had always built up walls, kept her heart in a box, as a way of coping with the hand that life had dealt her. And now she wanted to let him in, she wanted to be able to comfort and console him, but she didn't know how.

A renenwed coughing fit from Katie pulled Brennan from her thoughts, watching as the blonde grabbed at Booth's lapel, pulling him close as she struggled to speak. Temperance couldn't make out what was being said but from the look on her partner's face, she knew it wasn't good.

He looked up at her, his eyes flashing with rage.

"The killer…"

He swallowed, shaking his head in disbelief.

"It's Nate."

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**A/N: Sorry to have to do this to you folks but no, the end is not nigh... There's at least another four chapters up my sleeve so stay tuned for tomorrow's bumper edition of...(drum roll please)... The Man In The Lecture Hall! Reviews will receive my eternal love, gratification and a shower of delicious cookies.**


	12. Liar Liar

**A/N: As promised, here's your bumper edition to make up for the slimline chapter yesterday. Please, please, please, review! I've been having something of a struggle with this story so I really want to hear what you all think. It warms the cockles of me heart guv'nor… So sit back, relax and let me take you to the magical mystery base that it is Quantico….**

**PS: Congratulations to my 100th reviewer on this story, Hali. You win…. Well, nothing! But thank you to everyone for the support, especially Ava (thanks for the hangover choir, they saved my life) cos she's just plain ace.**

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Booth marched down the glass corridor flanked on either side by military policemen. That was the joy of Quantico essentially being a military base, there were always armed men around when you needed them. 

One hand on the holster on his hip, Booth felt the reassuring weight of his service revolver under his twitching fingers. He had been forced to take many lives over the years but now was the first time he actually _wanted_ to do it.

_He pretended to be her friend then strung her up from a tree, what kind of person could do something like that? And to think, I trusted him. All these years, he was my mentor. Then he makes a move on my partner and tries to kill my friend. He's not getting away with this. He's going to pay._

Brennan was chasing after him, struggling to keep up. Pushing past the MPs, she grabbed her partner's arm, trying to make him look at her. Booth didn't even break his stride, marching on toward the indoor firing range. He couldn't look at Brennan, he couldn't speak to her.

_I know exactly what she's going to say. Don't be rash, don't shoot him, don't do something you'll regret... She's been suckered in. She kissed him, for God's sake! And who knows what happened after I left?_

He shook his head, attempting to drive the image of his partner and his mentor out of his head. It was simply replaced by his memory of Katie, her feet swinging slightly in the breeze, her lips blue as she just hung there, dying.

Booth could feel his partner's frustration beside him and he didn't care. As much as he cared for her, loved her even, she bugged the hell out of him sometimes. Even so, he could never just brush her aside so when she positioned herself in the doorway to the firing range, he finally spoke.

"Bones, don't you dare tell me to be calm in there. You've seen what he's done, what he's capable of. Just because you and him are having some kind of 'recreational' fun doesn't change what he is or what I want to do to him."

She folded her arms across her chest, her face stern but her eyes full of understanding. Just looking at her, he felt his anger quell a little.

"Booth, if you had ever let me have a gun, I would be in there right now sticking it in his face. But you're the one with the badge and the weapon because you're the cop. So be a cop."

He just stared at her, choosing silence over the barrage of angry words that rose within his throat. She sighed heavily as she stepped toward him, laying a gentle hand over his own, resting on the holster.

"You're a good man, Seeley, a _great_ man. If you do something rash in there, he'll have won. He'll have pulled you down to his level and you're better than that. You're an FBI agent. You have fidelity, bravery and integrity, but most of all you have morality. You believe in codes of conduct and honesty and doing the right thing. Don't let him take that away from you."

He blinked rapidly, looking at the floor. She gave his hand a quick squeeze.

"You know what else you got?"

He slowly raised his eyes to hers, watching the slow smile spread across her lips. He felt a smile somehow pulling at his own mouth as he nodded.

"Yeah. I got you."

She grinned back at him before spinning on her heel and marching through the door. Booth popped the restraint on his holster, resisting the urge to pull the gun out all together. He swallowed hard, every instinct in his body telling him it was wrong to confront Agent Rouse on a firing range. There was no advantage here, no angle to play, except in Nate's favour.

Realising how far ahead Brennan was, Booth sped up, the MPs matching him step for step. One of them cleared his throat loudly.

"Permission to speak, sir?"

He glanced over his shoulder, feeling strangely like he was back in the military again. He nodded at the younger man, turning his attention back to Brennan walking ahead of him.

"Agent Booth, don't you find it hard working with your girlfriend all the time?"

He felt himself stop dead in his tracks. It was only a beat, a momentary pause, but the question had caught him off guard. With all the time they had spent together, all the cases they worked, they were often mistaken for a couple. He'd always just brushed it off but now, in the sterile firing range with the sound of gunshots echoing in his ears, he followed the woman he loved and dared himself to imagine what it would be like if he was able to finally grab his moment and tell her how he felt.

He caught himself in that thought and cursed his own weakness.

_How can you think like that now? There are two bodies in the morgue, Katie's lying in a hospital bed and all you want to do is fantasise about your damn partner? Pull yourself together!_

He cleared his throat as he approached Brennan, who was waiting somewhat patiently for him by Nate's aisle on the range. Throwing a look back over his shoulder at the MP, Booth kept a wary hand on his holster as he moved forward.

"She's not my girlfriend."

Booth waited until Nate had finished his clip and lain the weapon down on the shelf in front of him, removing his ear guards. Fighting back the anger that burned at every fibre of his being, he stepped forward.

"Agent Rouse?"

Nate turned, obviously surprised at finding the foursome watching him. Eyeing Booth with a friendly frown, he wagged a finger in front of him.

"Are we really back to that, Seeley? My name's Nate and you know it. What's with the armed entourage?"

Booth removed a pair of handcuffs from his back pocket, his eyes flashing with rage as he struggled to keep his voice steady.

"Agent Rouse, you are under arrest…"

He moved toward his former teacher with the cuffs as Nate stared at him in disbelief.

"You can't be serious! What the hell's going on? What am I supposed to have done?"

Brennan couldn't contain herself, her voice loud and angry.

"You killed two innocent people just so you could play some kind of sick mind game with me and then the second that Katie suspected you, you strung her up from a tree!"

Nate took a step backwards, shaking his head frantically.

"Katie… What, is she ok?"

Booth leaned forward, his demeanour menacing as he wondered how he was ever intimidated by the small man cowering in front of him.

"She will be, no thanks to you."

Nate put his hands up in front of him in a sign of surrender, his eyes pleading with his protégé before he turned to Brennan.

"Temperance, please! You know I'd never do something like this."

She just stared back, her eyes cold.

"No. I don't know that."

He rushed forward, grabbing at her arm. Unable to control her rage, Brennan seized his wrist and twisted it painfully, driving it up behind his back as she pushed him away, slamming him in to the wall of the aisle. Blood pouring from his nose and rubbing his wrist forlornly, he was barely a shadow of the man she had been attracted to.

She turned her gaze to Booth who just stared at her, shaking his head.

"See, that's not fair. Why do _you_ get to beat up the bad guy and I don't?"

She grinned sheepishly, shrugging as she spoke.

"Maybe if you gave me a gun then I'd have to be a little more restrained."

"Maybe if I gave you a gun, I'd be the one ending up getting shot. No thanks, Bones."

He turned his attention back to Nate and quickly began to feel the anger rising again. Agent Rouse's eyes widened as he shook his head frantically, backing away from his old student.

"No, you can't do this! It'd ruin me!"

Booth shrugged.

"You think I care about your career after the things you've done?"

Nate's voice sounded like a petulant child's.

"But I haven't done anything, I swear!"

Booth ignored him, the handcuffs held out in front of him.

"Agent Rouse, you are under arrest for the murder of Agent Howard Blake McAvoy and Trainee Agent Joy Anne Marshall, and the attempted murder of Doctor Catherine Helen Harwood. You do not have to stay anything unless you wish to do so, though anything you do say can and will be used against you in a court of…"

Booth didn't get the chance to finish.

Nate, one instant the cowering victim, was suddenly charging forward, apparently intent on taking a swing at his former student. Without a second thought, Booth quickly deflected the blow and ducked beneath a second, driving the heel of his hand into the agent's face and feeling the sickening crunch beneath his palm. Eyes watering, Rouse staggered backwards, though Booth quickly realised he wasn't done.

Panicked like a cornered animal, Rouse flung himself forward, only to get Seeley's knee jabbed in his stomach. Booth then grabbed his shoulder, spinning him around and driving his face into the wall as he finally managed to put the handcuffs on him.

Pushing his captive in to the waiting arms of the military police, he just watched as they led him away. He barely noticed as Brennan sauntered up to him, a glint in her eye.

"Feel better now?"

A ghost of a smile brushed his lips as he properly holstered his weapon and followed his former mentor out of the firing range.

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Angela sighed heavily as she slid in to the chair beside the hospital bed. Staring at Katie, she felt the sting of tears but quickly blinked them away.

She wasn't one hundred percent sure why she was even there. Maybe it was the fact that she knew both Booth and Bren had gone to arrest Nate, meaning Katie would be left all on her own. Maybe it was the fact that the profiler had already lost a close friend in Agent McAvoy to the very man and colleague that had tried to kill her too.

_Come on, who are you kidding? It's guilt. Plain, simple, gnawing guilt._

An involuntary shudder crept through Angela's body as she leant forward in the chair, dropping her head in to her hands.

_I was the last person to talk to her. She realised it was Nate when she was with me and then she rushed off to find him. Maybe if I'd stopped her, maybe if I'd been quicker to tell Booth…_

She caught herself in her train of thought, trying to stop it before it consumed her.

A cough from the doorway dragged her attention back to the hospital wing. Turning in her seat, Angela saw Hodgins leaning against the frame, a look of grave concern on his face, though it was aimed at her, not Katie.

He moved forward slowly, stopping beside the chair.

"Zach said you were here."

She nodded, her gaze returning to the pretty blonde.

"I couldn't leave her on her own, not after everything she's been through."

He laid a hand on her shoulder without a word. She felt the tears welling up again and after a few moments, she placed her hand on top of his. He shifted then, grasping her fingers and squeezing them reassuringly. She smiled to herself.

_How, in all our time together before, did I never see that he was always there?_

She cleared her throat, swallowing back the tears.

"Shouldn't you be in the lab with Zach and Doctor Reynolds? Booth's going to need evidence to pin that wily old son of a bitch down."

Hodgins nodded, retracting his hand.

"Do you need anything? Coffee, magazine, armed agent outside the door?"

She smiled and shook her head.

"Thanks Hodgy, but I'm fine. Really! Go do your grimy slimy thing."

He moved away but paused in the doorway, turning back to look at her with eyes full of a turbulent storm of emotions.

"It wasn't your fault, Ange. None of this was your fault."

He left her then, not wanting to see the tears he knew she was crying, and just hoped that she believed him.

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Brennan watched through the one-way glass as her partner stalked up and down the interrogation room, his face set in a look of revulsion.

"I just don't get how you could do it, Nate. McAvoy, yeah maybe I can see that. He's a drunk, he pissed you off, maybe he was getting a little too raucous for you. One thing leads to another, next thing you know you got a dead body on your hands. But then you shot him execution style, shoved a load of evidence down his throat and put him on display for all to see."

Nate's eyes were blank above his bandaged nose. He just stared straight ahead, his voice devoid of any emotion.

"I did not kill Agent McAvoy."

Booth stared down at the man he used to respect.

"Sure, he just did all this himself. He got drunk, shot himself in the back of the neck and tad ah! Instant mind game for Doctor Brennan!"

"I did not kill Agent McAvoy, nor do I think he did this to himself."

Booth rested one foot on the chair in front of him, laying a casual arm over his knee as he leaned forward.

"What've you got against Doctor Brennan anyway? What she ever do to you? Because all this started long before she ever shot you down."

Nate flinched, causing Booth to smile a little as he leaned in further.

"That bug you, huh? The fact she turned you down?"

Rouse just stayed silent, staring straight ahead, but his cheeks began to flush red.

"Was that the same problem with Joy Marshall, huh? Did she turn you down too? Is that why you strung Katie up from a damn tree, because suddenly she saw the real you and that meant you knew you wouldn't be getting any from her, even after you got McAvoy out of the way?"

"I did not kill Agent McAvoy. I did not kill Joy Marshall. I did not try to kill Doctor Harwood."

Booth threw his hands up in exasperation.

"So you keep saying, Nate, but I really don't believe you. You're a liar and a murderer and we're done playing your twisted little games."

Nate leaned back in his chair, folding his arms across his chest with his jaw set firm, not saying a word. Booth just shook his head.

"You're a sick, sick man, Nathaniel Rouse."

"No, Agent Booth, I'm an _innocent_ man. I understand the need for this ridiculous line of questioning. The fact that Katie's told you it's me, the severity of the case, all of that is fine. But you… You're actually enjoying seeing me in this position. Whatever happened to the agent I trained, the man I helped create?"

Booth felt his anger surge to the surface as he slammed his hands down on the table.

"I don't enjoy seeing my old teacher in this position, I don't enjoy having to interrogate someone I used to trust. But I do enjoy watching a tiny little excuse for a man like you, a liar and a murderer, squirm under pressure."

Nate smiled up at him, his expression sickly sweet.

"Except I'm not squirming, Agent Booth, you are. And why is that I wonder? Is it because you so desperately want to hit me again? Now why would you want to do that?"

Booth leaned over the table, his face just inches from his suspect's.

"Because you murdered two people and tried to kill a third, all as part of some idiotic game you were attempting to play."

Nate's smile broadened as he locked eyes with his former protégé.

"You don't want to hit me because you think I'm a killer. You want to hit me because you think I slept with your partner."

Booth froze. It was only for a moment but it was all Rouse needed.

"You always were a fool when it came to women, Seeley. I remember what happened with Katie and I heard about Rebecca and your son. You've never been able to make it last and the way you're going, you never will. That's why Temperance came to me. Willingly, I might add. You were never going to be good enough for a woman like her. I mean, even I struggled to keep up"

Booth rushed forward, yanking Rouse out of the chair and slamming him in to the wall, pressing his forearm hard against the suspect's throat, his eyes narrowed in rage.

"Say one more word about my partner and I swear to God I will _permanently_ wipe that smug smile off your face."

Brennan burst through the door of the interrogation room, pulling Booth back and pushing him out into the corridor. Slamming the door behind her, she turned to face her partner, hands on hips.

"You can't let him get to you like that, Booth."

He punched the wall with a frustrated grunt. Brennan couldn't help but flinch.

"Booth, please."

"Please what, Bones? That scum in there deserves everything he gets!"

He let out a long breath, attempting to steady himself. After a few moments silence, he looked her straight in the eye.

"Did you sleep with him?"

Slightly taken aback, Brennan blinked rapidly.

"No. I mean, we kissed but that was all. We went for a walk afterwards down to Hogan's Alley which was when I saw…"

She tailed off, her mouth hanging open uselessly as she remembered the fact that she still hadn't told Booth she had seen him leaving the casino. She snapped her mouth shut.

"No, I did not have sex with Agent Rouse."

Booth was staring at her through narrow eyes. Eventually he let out a heavy sigh.

"Why didn't you tell me you saw me outside the casino?"

She shrugged.

"There's just so much going on right now. And I made you a promise that if you were ever to slip, I wouldn't gossip. It may not have been sex, but it was still a slip."

He shook his head.

"I didn't gamble, Bones. I can't deny I was tempted, more than tempted, but I didn't do it."

Booth leaned against the wall, seeming to deflate right in front of Brennan's eyes as he slid down to a crouch, his head in his hands.

"He pushes all my buttons. He knows how to make it hurt, to turn everything back on to me."

She moved beside her partner, sitting on the floor in front of him.

"That's the only way he can feel good in his life, Booth. That's why he has to kill, why he has to play the mind games. You don't need any of that."

He shook his head, his voice muffled through his palms.

"He was my mentor, Bones. I looked up to him. When I met him, I felt like I knew I was on the right path. What does that say about me? I couldn't see him for what he really is, I couldn't stop him."

Brennan shuffled closer, her arm snaking round his waist.

"None of this is your fault, Seeley. And you've stopped him now. Katie's safe and the game is over. You won. You beat him."

He raised his head out of his hands, his eyes locking with hers. Their faces only inches apart, he could feel the steady heat of her breath on his cheek and he smiled a little.

"You know I could never do any of this without you, Temperance. Thank you."

She shrugged, a sly smile spreading across her face.

"What else are partners for? Though without a gun, I am starting to feel more like a useless sidekick."

He grinned.

"You're my Tonto!"

She frowned at him, blinking rapidly.

"I don't know what that means."

His grin widened.

_Same old Bones. Some things never change._

Throwing an arm around her shoulders, he knew he could get through anything with her by his side.

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Katie opened her eyes slowly, staring at the ceiling above. Something was different.

Blinking rapidly, she looked around the room, her eyes eventually falling on Angela's sleeping form, her legs curled up beneath her. The profiler couldn't help but feel touched by the virtual stranger's concern.

Katie smiled, a strange sensation of warmth seeming to envelop every inch of her body. But then the memory of hanging from the tree returned. She remembered the jerk of the fall, the burning as the noose tore the skin from her neck, her inability to scream as the rope tightened. Above all, she remembered the panic, the fear that no-one would find her until it was too late.

But now, all she felt was warm and fuzzy and light.

Her eyes slowly focused on the drip attached to her arm and her smile widened.

_I love morphine. It makes everything so pretty._

A strange feeling nagged at her, telling her there was somewhere she needed to be.

_There was something I had to tell… Something I had to do…_

Without flinching, she yanked the tube from her arm and swung her legs over the side of the bed. After waiting for a few moments for the room to stop spinning, Katie slipped on the slippers laid out by the bed and carefully opened the bag of her personal belongings. Slipping on a pair of trousers and a jacket over the hospital gown, she tip toed across the room, pausing beside the chair.

Looking down at Angela, Katie's smile slipped a little.

_Why isn't Booth here?_

Swallowing hard, she moved to the door and looked around for any medical staff. Seeing no-one, she glanced back over her shoulder and then scurried off down the empty corridor.

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**A/N: Hmmm, verging back to the angst again! Did you get the Tonto reference, did ya? It's cos Booth used to be a lone _Ranger_, get it? Yes, I'm sad but you know what, I really don't care… Hope you enjoyed your bumper dose. Things should be back to normal tomorrow for chapter 13 (unlucky for some, and definitely at least one of the characters….) Mwah hah haaaaaah! Yes, that was my attempt at an evil laugh. I feel I should point out that it is now 4:49am so I really don't have much cognitive ability left… Me go sleepy now. Nighty night kiddo!**


	13. Disappearances

**A/N: Quick recap for those coming late to the party. Someone's killing people at Quantico, the FBI academy, where Brennan, Booth and co are spending a weekend of seminars, etc. The dead bodies contain clues directed at Brennan, referring to her past and her family. Upset, she found comfort with Agent Rouse (Booth's former mentor) only to find out from Profiler Katie Harwood that he was one who tried to kill her so Booth arrested him. With me? Good. Your next chapter should be up in a few hours. I'm Speedy Gonzales this week!**

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Brennan smiled at her partner as he laid a hand on the door to the interrogation room. He sighed heavily, obviously trying to steady himself. 

"Don't worry, Booth. It's over."

He nodded slowly, turning the knob.

"I just wish I could believe that."

He disappeared inside, slamming the door behind him. Sighing, Temperance made her way back to the observation room on the other side of the one-way glass. About to walk inside, she saw Doctor Reynolds racing down the corridor towards her, his pale eyes wide behind his glasses.

"Doctor Brennan! Doctor Brennan, wait!"

She stared at him with a frown, seeing the panic in his face.

"Is everything alright?"

He grabbed her arm and she had to suppress the urge to forcibly remove it as he started dragging her away.

"Please, there isn't much time! You have to come _now_."

He broke in to a run again, pulling her with him. Utterly confused, she shook her arm free and glared at him, hands on hips.

"I'm sorry Doctor Reynolds but what exactly is the problem?"

He stopped, breathing heavily as he stared at her. His blatant fear was beginning to make her nervous.

"There isn't time. You have to see for yourself. I can't believe I missed it before! It's all so obvious now!"

He raced off again, disappearing round the corner. Letting out an angry sigh, she charged after him. Catching sight of him a few feet ahead of her, Brennan called out to him.

"Where are we going?"

He paused for a moment, letting her catch up with him.

"It's Joy Marshall's body, the evidence, the files… You have to see! It's all laid out for you in the autopsy suite."

But Brennan never got there.

Turning the corner, a sudden pain coursed down her spine from the back of her head. Her vision blurring, she could just make out Doctor Reynolds sinking to the ground beside her as everything faded to black.

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Booth sat down in the chair, kicking his feet up on to the table as he folded his arms across his chest. Saying nothing, he just stared at Rouse. His former mentor just stared right back.

They had been going back and forth for what felt like hours. Glancing at his watch, he wondered where Brennan was.

Rouse smiled slowly.

"Somewhere you're meant to be, Agent Booth? Don't let me hold you up."

Booth thrust a sarcastic grin at his old mentor.

"Don't worry, Nate. I've got all day to wait for you to admit to what you did."

Nate snorted with laughter.

"You really think I'm guilty, don't you?"

Booth shrugged.

"Well, the evidence points to you so yeah, I think you're guilty as Hell."

Nate's eyes narrowed as he shook his head.

"No, you're making the evidence fit with me because Profiler Barbie claimed I hung her up from a tree branch. Deprived of oxygen for that long, can you really trust what she says she saw?"

Booth glared at him, the anger rising in his chest, as Nate continued.

"Tell me Agent Booth, what's my motive? What possible reason do I have for murdering two people and then trying to kill Katie too?"

"I don't really want to hear the rambling psycho speech. I know you did it and that's enough to put you behind bars. I don't need to know why."

Nate burst out laughing.

"Who the hell are you trying to kid? You _always_ want to know why, Booth, that's part of what drives you. You can't understand how people bring themselves to do the things they do so you spend your life investigating, poking and prodding until you find a motive, a _reason_ for why these tragedies occur. Some might call it a noble pursuit. I call it desperate."

Booth raised an eyebrow.

"Desperate? You think the life of an FBI agent is desperate? Is that what drove you to it, Nate? Is that why you started this ridiculous mind game with Doctor Brennan? Because you were jonesing for some sort of control and power in your desperate little life?"

Nate jabbed a finger at him.

"See, you're doing it right now! You're trying to figure out why I did the things you think I've done. I'm afraid I can't help you, Seeley. The only people I've ever killed have been in self defence. You can't claim that though, can you Ranger?"

Booth's chest tightened.

"Just because you know what I used to do doesn't mean you know me."

Nate's thin lips curled in to a smile.

"Oh, but I _do_ know you Agent Booth. Here you are in the middle of Quantico, practically hallowed ground for an all-American boy like you, and someone's abusing everything your precious FBI stands for. All that integrity, that nobility, lost with the pointless deaths of two agents who seemed to have done nothing to deserve their brutal end. Someone's mocking your profession and even worse, they're mocking your partner, and you can't stand it."

Booth felt his jaw clench as Nate leaned forward across the table.

"You can't protect her, Booth. She doesn't want you to. And that kills you, doesn't it? The thought that whoever it is that's playing with her could win, could snatch her away like Agent McAvoy, like Joy Marshall, that kills you."

Rouse leaned back in his chair, folding his arms across his chest with a satisfied glint in his eye.

"You can't save her from this one, Seeley. You never could."

Booth rolled his eyes.

"She's safe, just like Katie. With you locked up in here, everybody's safe."

Nate arched an eyebrow.

"Are you sure about that, Agent Booth?"

A knot of fear began to twist in his stomach as Nate sighed heavily.

"What if I'm telling you the truth? What if I really am innocent? What happens to your partner while you're wasting all this time in here with me?"

Booth glanced at his watch.

_Where the hell is she?_

Getting to his feet as he prepared to leave, Nate began to laugh. Except it wasn't from happiness. Hearing the bitterness in Nate's tone, Booth glowered down at his former mentor who just grinned right back up at him.

"What's the matter, Booth? Worried about poor little Temperance?"

There was a strange glint in his eye.

_He knows something…_

"What have you done to be so happy about?"

Nate shrugged.

"Me? I've not done anything. But then I'm not the one who's running around out there killing people with a beady eye on your partner. Speaking of the lovely doctor, shouldn't you be following her around like a wide-eyed puppy dog right about now?"

The hairs on the back of Booth's neck began to stand on end.

_He's done something. He's done something to Temperance…_

"There's a madman out there, Agent Booth. I suggest you find him before your partner does."

His heart pounding, Booth charged out of the interview room.

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Temperance Brennan felt strange, like she was floating. She didn't want to open her eyes. It would take too much energy.

Somewhere in the distance she could hear hurried whispers. Someone was saying her name, over and over, calling to her.

She sighed heavily, her voice a raspy whisper.

"Booth…?"

The voices stopped and she forced her eyes open. Her vision swam, making her feel sick with dizziness.

She realised she was lying on her side on a dusty concrete floor. In front of her were a pair of shiny leather shoes. Her eyes trailed along the limp legs, reaching Doctor Reynolds' pale face, his eyes closed beneath a deep gash on his forehead.

_Where the Hell is Booth?_

A hand flashed in front of her face and suddenly something was covering her nose and mouth. Struggling to breathe, Brennan tried to fight herself free, finding her hands were tied tightly behind her back.

_I need Booth…_

Her eyelids began to droop, the vapours on the rag over her mouth making her drowsy. As she drifted back into darkness, Temperance Brennan found herself praying for her partner.

She prayed he wouldn't blame himself.

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Angela found herself being shaken awake somewhat roughly. Blinking her eyes open, she stared up in to Hodgins's concerned face. Sitting up, she stretched and yawned, suddenly aware of two frowning doctors behind her colleague.

"What's up?"

He moved aside, his sharp blue eyes piercing into hers. Blinking, she looked at the empty bed behind him.

"Where's Katie?"

He shrugged as he crouched down in front of her.

"We don't know. Nobody knows."

Angela looked around the room, her eyes wide.

"You don't think someone came back to, you know, finish the job do you?"

Hodgins said nothing, his silence making her nervous. Angela grabbed her bag, rooting through its contents to retrieve her cell phone, immediately dialling her best friend's number.

She felt the fear rising in her throat as the phone just rang and rang and rang. She always answered the phone. Always. As the line switched to voicemail, she snapped the handset shut and locked eyes with Hodgins who had his own phone pressed to his ear.

"Brennan's not answering."

Hodgins sighed heavily.

"Neither is Zach."

Angela jumped to her feet, marching towards the door, shaking her head.

"What the hell is going on?"

She dialled Booth's number, praying that all the scenarios racing through her mind were wrong. She prayed her friends were safe.

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Booth leant against the wall in the corridor, trying to breathe calmly as he cursed Nate for being able to wind him up so easily. He knew Brennan was safe, probably squinting down some microscope in the lab or working her magic over a pile of bones.

_So why is my stomach still churning, why am I still worried?_

The cell phone ringing in his pocket pulled his attention back to the sterile corner. He answered gruffly.

"Booth."

"It's Angela. Are you with Bren?"

"No, I've been interrogating Nate. What's going on?"

He could hear a slight tremor of fear in her voice.

"Katie's gone, and neither Zach or Bren are answering their phones. Me and Hodgins are heading over to the autopsy suite now."

Booth marched down the corridor, trying to keep his face calm.

_What the hell is going on?_

"Ok, I'll meet you there. Don't you dare go charging in without me. Last thing I need is a load of dead squints."

An unfamiliar agent rushed round the corner, skidding to a halt in front of him, slightly out of breath.

"Ange, I've gotta go. Everything's going to be fine, I promise."

He snapped the phone shut, giving the agent in front of him a quizzical look.

"Can I help you?"

The agent seemed to squirm under his gaze and Seeley felt the cold clamminess of fear begin to crawl across his skin. The agent cleared his throat and forced himself to look him in the eye.

"Agent Booth, do you recognise this?"

He took the small evidence bag, eyeing the contents carefully and his heart skipped a beat.

Inside was a blood-stained earring. Bones had been wearing them that morning. She loved them, they used to belong to her mother.

"Where did you find this?"

"Around the corner, just outside the elevators. We were alerted to a possible security breach when a technician noticed someone had tampered with the internal CCTV cameras for this area. Arriving at the scene, we found Doctor Reynolds' ID card, the earring and this."

He passed over a second evidence bag, this time containing the familiar piece of white card.

_My dearest Seeley, stumbling through the darkness without a clue._

_Did you really think you could stop me, did my message not get through?_

_I promised you four to sort through, my dearest noble boy,_

_And now I've finally captured my favourite little toy._

_So what exactly will you do, how can you win?_

_I'm sad to say that you will fail before you even begin._

_You can not save all these souls_

_So now you know for whom the bell tolls._

Booth felt like someone had just hit him in the stomach with a sledgehammer, his heart racing. Running a hand through his hair, he attempted to control the fear that was steadily threatening to take over his every thought.

The agent in front of him cleared his throat.

"Sir, what does the quotation mean on the other side?"

He turned the bag over with a frown.

At the top was written _Luke 23:22_. Frowning, he mumbled the biblical quotation under his breath.

"And he said, unto them the third time, Why, What evil hath he done? I have found no cause of death in him."

His eyes trailed down to the single line beneath the quotation.

_I found the cause of death in her. I witnessed her evil._

Swallowing hard, he locked eyes with the agent.

"I want every inch of this base searched and searched again. I want to know where she is and who's got her. Start at the second crime scene on the obstacle course. That seems to be his preferred killing zone."

The agent nodded, scurrying away as he barked orders in to a walkie-talkie. Booth slid the card in to his jacket pocket and spun on his heel, charging through the corridors as he raced towards the autopsy suite.

_Someone's got Temperance. Someone's hurting her. All because they think she's done something evil?_

Seeing Hodgins and Angela waiting for him up ahead, he yanked the gun out of his holster, his heart pounding as he stopped at the door, his voice gruff.

"Stay here, don't get in my way."

He saw them share a look as he raised his gun, slipping inside the lab.

Nothing. She wasn't here. Nobody was.

A groan from the far side of the room caused him to spin round, his gun steady as he crept towards the noise. Coming round the side of the autopsy table, he nearly tripped over a pair of outstretched legs.

Zach groaned again as Booth crouched down beside him, carefully helping the young scientist up as he eyed the welt on his forehead.

"Zach, are you ok? What happened?"

Leaning on the counter, Zach tried to shake the cobwebs free. Clearing his throat, he attempted to explain.

"I was assisting Doctor Reynolds with the bodies when he seemed to find something important in one of the files. He started laying out all the evidence for Doctor Brennan to see and then went off to get her, saying it was urgent. After that, it all goes hazy."

Booth stared at him.

"You didn't see anything at all? You didn't hear anyone else in the room?"

Zach just shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Agent Booth. I just can't remember."

He clapped a friendly hand on the scientist's shoulder. Never in a million years did he think he would ever find himself comforting the irritatingly clever young man. Zach looked surprised for a second, blinking rapidly as he looked away. Slowly, a frown crossed his youthful features as he pointed at an overturned table.

"Someone's taken the evidence."

Booth followed his gaze, marching over to the mess.

"It was all on here?"

"Yes. Doctor Reynolds laid all the files out on the desk, including the x-rays, the tox reports and Doctor Harwood's profile notes. He'd been circling information in them all day."

Angela came charging in to the room, racing towards Zach with her eyes wide. Carefully examining the wound to his head, she shot a worried look at Booth.

"I'm going to take him over to the hospital wing, get him checked out. Let me know the minute you hear anything."

She turned to leave, stopping as Booth laid a gentle hand on her arm.

"We've got her back before, Angela. We'll do it again. She'll be fine."

She just nodded mutely, her eyes swimming with tears as she led Zach out of the door. Hodgins watched her go, obviously torn over whether to go with her or stay behind. When she disappeared around the corner, he turned back to Agent Booth.

"So what the hell's going on? Why did someone attack Zach, kidnap Katie again _and_ snatch Doctor Brennan?"

Booth just stared at him, not knowing what to say.

_I have absolutely no idea. I don't know why anyone would ever want to hurt Temperance, even though that's never stopped people trying. I have to find her…_

Hodgins took a step closer, frowning at the federal agent.

"Booth? Come on man, what's going on?"

He dug the evidence out of his pocket, handing it over to the scientist. When he finished reading, he looked back up at Booth.

"So what do we do?"

Booth dropped himself on to a stool, staring at the overturned table.

_We panic, we pray, we fight…_

"I have agents out searching every inch of Quantico. Of course, the base covers 385 acres, including classrooms and woodland. The search could take hours."

"That's great, but what do _we_ do?"

Booth frowned, his eyes narrowing. Slowly, he moved over to the upturned table, retrieving a slim manila file from underneath the metal edge.

"Looks like our attacker missed something."

Booth swallowed hard as he opened up the file, Hodgins reading over his shoulder.

_Please God, let this help. Just don't take Temperance away from me, not now, not before I've had the chance to tell her all the things I've been too scared to say before._

_Don't take away the woman I love._

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**A/N: I was watching 'Death of a President' on More 4 as I wrote this. If you missed it, bad luck guys cos it was great. Not that I support assassinating George Bush or anything (not that I like him either but you know what I mean!) but it was very well made. Anyway, watching that slowed me down a fair bit but the next chapter should be up very very soon. Please please review or I'm just not going to update and leave you all hanging... Yes, I am evil. Deal with it...**


	14. 528 Gelson Drive

**A/N: Ok, I have worked through the night just for you folks. See, that's how blooming nice I am! It's now 7.51am and I desperately need a shower. Although I have made a start on the next chapter, I've got a busy couple of days ahead so I can't guarantee when the next update will happen though I promise it will be soon. **

Read away, and let's see how many people were actually right with their theories. Thanks as ever to everyone who reviewed. Oh, and so you know, the more reviews I get the more guilty I'll feel if I don't update. So there's your incentive people: review and you get more to read! Don't worry, only a couple of chapters left now.

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Temperance Brennan groaned loudly. Slowly, she opened her eyes, doing her best to focus on the room that was spinning around her. Blinking rapidly, she stared straight ahead until the place stopped moving. 

Her head throbbing, she tried to sit up, finding it a lot harder than she hoped for with her hands and ankles bound. Eventually, she shuffled into an upright position, leaning her aching back against the wall and was surprised by the strange crinkling noise behind her.

Arching her neck upwards, she saw that the wall was covered in plastic sheeting. Her eyes roamed the rest of the dusty room, finding every wall covered with the clear plastic. Movement caught her eye.

Turning her head quickly to the right, Brennan instantly regretted it. The back of her skull throbbed, sending shooting pains across her temples that created lights which danced across the inside of her eyelids. Taking a deep breath, she steadied herself and attempted to focus on the far corner of the room.

A pile of mismatched clothing was all she could see. Slippers, a hospital gown, a suit jacket, all just piled together in the darkness.

Except the pile was moving.

Straining her eyes, Brennan caught a glimpse of blonde hair and her breathe caught in her throat. Swallowing hard, she whispered as loudly as she dared.

"Katie?"

The shape huddled in the corner jerked at the raspy voice, a pair of terrified eyes slowly revealing themselves from behind the suit jacket.

"Temperance…"

The anthropologist felt a wave of relief surge through her as she smiled at the profiler.

"Yes, it's Temperance. Are you ok?"

The eyes blinked slowly in the darkness as they darted round the room, probably searching for their captors.

"Yeah, I think so. Well, I've been worse…"

Brennan couldn't help but see her hanging from that tree again and smiled grimly.

"Yeah, I suppose you have. Are you restrained?"

The blonde hair rippled in the minimal light as she shook her head.

"No. You?"

"Yes, I'm afraid so. Can you help me get free?"

"Why?"

Brennan blinked with surprise, her mouth hanging open.

"Because otherwise we can't escape."

Katie let out a strangled giggle.

"Don't be silly, Temperance. We're not going anywhere. We're never going to escape."

A fresh wave of nausea hit Brennan as the sound of Katie's hysterical laughter echoed through the dusty rooms and right through Temperance's heart.

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Booth stared at the scrunched up file in front of him, frowning as he read. Somewhere behind him, Hodgins was searching the lab for any other evidence that may have escaped the intruder's purge.

Skimming the reams of scientific jargon that he would never understand, Booth flicked impatiently through the pages of the file. About to discard it altogether, something caught his eye.

Pulling five sheets of loose paper from the back, he frowned. Doctor Reynolds had computer printouts of the FBI summaries on Agent McAvoy, Joy Marshall, Katie, Nate and Bones.

Hodgins dropped himself on to the stool beside him with a frown.

"What've you got, G-Man?"

"I don't know. Maybe nothing…"

He slid McAvoy and Joy's details across the table for the scientist to examine and returned his attention to the rest. Temperance's face stared back up at him, a ghost of a smile on her lips. His fingers tracing the outline of her jaw, he sighed heavily.

_Where are you, Temperance? _

Feeling Hodgins's eyes boring in to him, Booth shuffled the pile, pushing Brennan's sheet to the bottom as he cleared his throat. He stared at Nate's information absently. He already knew all of this. He had reviewed the file before ever taking a step inside the interrogation room.

Flicking Nate's sheet to the bottom, he stared down at Katie's photo. The blonde hair pulled in to a tight bun, she looked the consummate professional but there was that ever-present glint in her eye, that hint that she could burst out laughing any moment and show you a real good time.

Booth smiled at the barrage of memories that came flooding back from their time together at Quantico. She was always getting him in to trouble with her hair-brained schemes and bootleg alcohol. It was like being high school kids again.

Booth's smile slipped as he remembered the last time he had seen her, her lips blue and eyes red. Swallowing hard, he tried to focus on the information.

_Name: Catherine Anne Harwood, PhD (Katie)_

_Date of Birth: 5th November 1973_

_FBI Badge Number: JTT0331613_

_Current address: Quantico, Virginia_

_Previous address: 528 Gelson Drive, Washington DC, 20010_

_Marital Status: Single_

Booth paused, frowning down at the file. There was something familiar about the address, something he couldn't quite place.

Hodgins's voice nearly made him jump right off the stool.

"What exactly are we looking for here, Booth? Cos I'm not seeing anything useful."

Booth snapped the cell phone off his belt, punching in the number for the DC field office. Listening as it rang, he glanced at the scientist.

"I think I may have just found something."

The line connected as Hodgins just stared at him, one eyebrow raised questioningly.

"Bobby, I need you to run a check on a DC address for me going back as long as you can. Got a pen? Great. It's 528 Gelson Drive, Washington, zip code 20010. Thanks, I'll hold."

Hodgins folded his arms as he watched the agent in front of him.

"What's so important about that address?"

Booth shrugged, tapping his pen impatiently on the side of the desk.

"I don't know. It just rings a bell with me, that's all. And right now, that's not a good thing."

He blinked rapidly and started jotting down the information that was being recited to him down the line. Suddenly, his eyes went wide.

"Woah Bobby, wait! Run that last name. Yeah, that one. No, I need it now."

Hodgins frowned, examining the glint of fear in Booth's eyes. Suddenly, the agent slumped forward, dropping his head in to his hands as he continued to hold the phone to his ear.

"Any surviving family? Uh huh, right. Thanks Bobby."

He hung up the phone and stared in to the middle distance, his eyes unfocused. Hodgins leaned forward.

"What is it? What's going on?"

Booth blinked rapidly, crossing the room to the computer in the far corner. He quickly entered his username and password, accessing the full FBI records instead of the Cliff Notes versions on the desk.

Hodgins leaned over his shoulder, squinting at the screen.

"Did you find something?"

"I think so, but right now I'm just hoping I'm wrong."

Seeing the name that Booth typed in to the search area, Hodgins nearly fainted.

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Katie had finally stopped laughing, much to Temperance's relief. Struggling with her restraints, she tried to wriggle free to no avail. Sighing heavily, Brennan decided to try her fellow captive again.

"Katie, please. I need your help, I need you to focus."

The huddled form giggled in the shadows.

"Can't focus. Morphine makes everything pretty."

_Great, I'm stuck in here with a doped up psychologist…_

"Katie, I need you to try to get up and come over here."

The blonde head rose above the crumpled mess of clothes.

"Why?"

"Because I need you to help me get free."

"Why?"

"Because we need to get out of here before they come back."

"Why?"

Brennan tried to swallow back her frustration.

_This is worse than trying to hold a conversation with Parker…_

"Katie, please, listen to me. I need your help. We have got to get out of here before whoever is holding us captive comes back because they'll kill us."

The huddled form seemed to twitch for a few moments before Katie staggered to her feet. Brennan sighed with relief, watching as the profiler wobbled there before crossing the room slowly.

Stopping right in front of her, Brennan looked up at Katie. Her face was dirty, her hair dishevelled, the angry red mark still prominent round her neck. Swallowing hard, Brennan offered a grim smile.

"Can you help untie me?"

Katie stared down, her head cocked to one side. Slowly, a smile spread across her face as she shook her head.

"No. You can stay down there with the rats and the worms."

Brennan blinked, not understanding what was going on.

"Katie, I need you to…"

The blonde cut her off with a wave of her hand as she sneered down at her.

"I _need_ this, I _want_ that. Well, boo hoo for you."

She crouched down in front of the anthropologist, their faces just inches apart.

"I'm sorry Temperance, but your time's up. There's a cost for the things you've done."

Katie straightened up with a grin. Somewhere nearby, Brennan heard a door slam. She was tempted to scream but the glint of the knife in Katie's hand quickly drove that idea from her mind. The blonde's smile widened as she pointed the blade directly at Brennan's throat.

"There's always a cost, Temperance. And now you pay."

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Booth entered the name Howard Epps in to the FBI search engine, praying he was wrong. Hodgins squirmed beside him.

"What the hell are you looking up Epps for?"

Booth clicked on the button next to known accomplices. A list of names popped up and he scanned the list, eventually clicking on the name Gil Lappin.

"Who's Gil Lappin?"

Booth stared at the screen. Under the banner word 'Deceased' there was the regular information. He quickly found the address, mumbling it aloud.

"528 Gelson Drive, Washington DC."

Hodgins frowned.

"But that's the address you just told your FBI guy to check. What the hell is going on?"

Booth scrolled down to the family information, clicking on Lappin's younger sister and only sibling. A file appeared, claiming that Anne Catherine Lappin was dead, killed in a tragic automobile accident. Except he knew the face in the photo. Hodgins's eyes widened.

"Is that Katie?"

Booth just nodded, his mouth dry.

"Doctor Reynolds must have figured it out. That's why they took all the evidence."

Hodgins nodded, his conspiracy-fuelled brain kicking in to action.

"So Katie wasn't abducted from the hospital room, she left all on her own. It would have been easy for her to kill Agent McAvoy seeing as they were close friends, and she was in charge of the lecture arrangements so she had access to the hall. As for Joy Marshall, well what girl would suspect your pretty blonde teacher to be a murderer?"

Booth nodded, his heart racing.

_How could I not have seen this? How could I not have stopped it? What happened to my instincts?_

Hodgins was staring at him.

"How did you remember that address?"

Booth blinked rapidly.

"He had the traditional serial killer wall of death in the basement. You don't tend to forget those."

Hodgins was shaking his head as he began pacing up and down the room.

"But she had to have help, right? Is that where Nate comes in?"

Booth shrugged.

"I honestly don't know. Maybe he's guilty of nothing but being a royal pain in the ass."

"But you found Katie basically dead and hanging from a tree! Why would she do that to herself? Unless she knew you were coming... Waiting up that tree would have given her the perfect vantage point to see you and Doctor Brennan's arrival. All she had to do was jump at the right moment and she knew you'd find her in time. That's an _excellent_ double bluff, throwing us all right off the scent and straight on to Nate."

Hodgins stopped pacing, staring Booth straight in the eye.

"But why is she doing this? Why has she been playing all these games with Doctor Brennan? I mean, she must have faked her death years ago to get in to the FBI. Nice security checks there by the way."

Booth pointed at the computer screen.

"She probably did it the first time her brother got arrested. Something like that wouldn't exactly help your application, especially when your old man's a convicted master forger too. It was probably him that sorted out all her new documentation, birth certificates and alike."

Hodgins shrugged.

"Ok, so she fooled the system. That's great and all but it doesn't explain why she's so intent on taking down Doctor Brennan."

Booth felt his palms turn clammy.

"Her brother, Gil Lappin, the one with rap sheet? He was Howard Epps's accomplice. He murdered Sarah Korskoff and would have killed Helen Majors too if you hadn't pointed me and Bones in the right direction."

Hodgins eyes widened as he stared at the computer screen.

"Oh God, does that mean…? He's…?"

Booth nodded slowly, his stomach churning.

"He's the man that Temperance shot to protect me. He's the man she killed."

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A/N: Here's a little nugget for you, fact fans. Katie Harwood's FBI badge number is the same as Dana Scully's on The X-Files. And, after much pausing of the episode, I can assure you that Lappin's address is the one that Booth and Bones really do go to in 'The Blonde In The Game'. Oh, and her birthday's November 5th cos that's my birthday... Yes, I really am that sad. Say thank you with reviews**! 


	15. Fourth's The Toy

**A/N: Right, I know I said there wouldn't be any more updates for a while but this damn story has been bugging at me all day so I just have to get it out and get it gone or I'm never gonna get my life back… Hopefully the story will all be done and online by tomorrow evening at the latest, though I'm really not planning on pulling another all nighter if I can help it. I love you guys but I don't love you that much…**

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Doctor Temperance Brennan felt totally and utterly powerless as she sat on the dusty floor, her hands and feet bound. She didn't like not being in control.

Looking up at Katie, her gaze roamed the blonde's dirty face, the dishevelled hair and the angry red mark still prominent around her neck. Brennan offered a grim smile.

"Can you help untie me?"

Katie stared down at her, her head cocked to one side. Slowly, a smile spread across her face as she shook her head.

"No. You can stay down there with the rats and the worms."

Brennan blinked slowly.

_What the hell is she talking about? _

"Katie, I need you to…"

The profiler cut her off with an abrupt wave of her hand, accompanied by a severe sneer.

"I _need_ this, I _want_ that. Well, boo hoo for you."

She crouched down in front of the anthropologist, their faces just inches apart.

"I'm sorry Temperance, but your time's up. There's a cost for the things you've done."

Katie straightened up with a grin. Somewhere nearby, Brennan heard a door slam. She was tempted to scream but the glint of the knife in Katie's hand quickly drove that idea from her mind. The blonde's smile widened as she pointed the blade directly at Brennan's throat.

"There's always a cost, Temperance. And now you pay."

Doctor Harwood moved ever closer, her eyes darting between the point of the knife and the pulse in Brennan's neck. Carefully, she ran the cold metal across the porcelain skin with a smirk.

"I get to cut you up in to worm food for what you did."

Trying to keep her breathing regular and even, Temperance sighed heavily.

_She really wants to kill me. I need to play for time. Booth will come. He always does. Booth will rescue me._

"And what is it exactly that I'm meant to have done?"

Katie jerked backwards, her laughter sounding bitter and full of rage.

"You're a murderer, Doctor Brennan. It's as simple as that. You can dress it up all you want with your trailer-trash books and long-winded science, but you're still a killer."

"Like you, you mean?"

She blinked rapidly, obviously trying to calm herself down as Brennan bit her lip.

_There's no one else she can be talking about. I've only ever taken one life and that was one too many._

Katie cleared her throat, her eyes narrowed.

"The people I killed deserved their fate. The things they had done in their lives, the way they treated others, they deserved everything they got."

"So did Gil Lappin."

_I don't mean that, do I? He killed Sarah Korskoff, he was about to kill Helen Majors, he attacked Booth. Maybe he did deserve it. I just wish it wasn't me that had to shoot him. He was going at my partner with a lead pipe. It was him or Booth. No contest._

Katie rushed forward in the blink of an eye, grabbing Temperance by the throat and slamming her backwards in to the wall. Everything went blurry as the wound on the back of her head connected with the plastic covered brickwork. Struggling to breathe, she attempted to get free to no avail, Katie's eyes boring in to her own.

"My brother was… That monster Howard Epps made him do it. He was forced! He would never have done the things you claimed unless he was under duress. He was a good, respectful, God-fearing man."

She loosened her grip on Brennan's throat slightly, a slow smile spreading across chapped lips.

"When you think about it, when you killed my brother, you sealed the fate of McAvoy and that little slut Joy Marshall. You signed their death warrants. In the end, you're the one that killed them. But that's just part of the price you pay…"

She rocked back on her heels, still crouching in front of Brennan. The anthropologist wanted to fight back, wanted to wipe the smug smile right off her grubby little face, but she just didn't have the energy. The pain in her head was immense, shooting daggers down her neck and blurring her vision.

_There's nothing I can do. I'm trapped, I'm tied up, I'm going to die here…_

Katie slowly rose to her feet, pacing back and forth across the dusty concrete in the hospital slippers and gown under her suit jacket. Brennan would have laughed at the sight if it wasn't so tragic.

The blonde stopped, twirling the large blade skilfully between her fingers as her sing-song voice filled the room.

"One for sorrow, two for Joy, three for answers, fourth is the toy… Technically, I died in the woods this morning so what does that make you Doctor Brennan?"

She laughed loudly as Bones just stared at her, her eyes wide as the gravity of the situation truly began to sink in. Katie's voice turned cold and hard as she pointed the knife directly at her captive's chest.

"The toy? That's you, Temperance. It was always going to be you. You think you're so much better than the rest of us, flinging your big important words about and writing trashy books that make the rest of us look like idiots. I always thought you deserved to be brought down a peg or two and the minute you messed with my family, I knew I was the one to do it."

She smiled fondly, the dim light bouncing off the blade and dancing across her face as she leaned in close.

"I enjoyed playing with you though, Temperance, more than I thought I would. I'm almost sorry the game's nearly over. Of course, it doesn't have to end right now… There's plenty of tricks I can teach the old dog yet."

Her eyes lit up as she put on an air of childlike innocence, her breath hot against Brennan's cheek as she ran the knife down the side of her neck and across her shoulder.

"I know a trick the toy can learn…"

Temperance just saw a flash of silver before her shoulder seemed to explode with pain, the blade slicing deep across her flesh as Katie grinned.

"Let's teach the dog to beg…"

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Agent Seeley Booth was terrified. Not that he was about to admit it to the squint stood staring at him.

_Katie is Lappin's sister. Katie killed two people, just to get to Temperance. Oh God, Temperance…_

Hodgins was staring at him expectantly, obviously waiting for some kind of plan to save their friend. But Booth couldn't think of anything, his sense of uselessness starting to take control.

_All the available agents are roaming the base and looking for her. I have no idea where Katie would take Bones. I have no idea how to save her._

Fear clawing at his stomach, he couldn't bring himself to look at Hodgins, couldn't bring himself to admit that he was lost for answers without his partner.

The shrill ring of the cell phone nearly scared him half to death.

"Booth."

"Sir, this is Agent Shepherd."

_Please give me good news, tell me she's ok. Tell me I haven't lost her._

"We've covered the entire obstacle course and left a couple of agents at the killing zone but I'm afraid there's no sign of Doctor Brennan."

He sighed heavily, running a frustrated hand across his face.

"Fine, spread out. Keep looking."

He snapped the phone shut with such force that he nearly broke the handset, a fact that didn't escape Hodgins's notice. Stepping forward, the scientist's sharp blue eyes pierced the agent's fears.

"They can't find her?"

Booth just shook his head, unable to find the words.

_This isn't happening. Not again. This isn't happening…_

"So what do we do?"

Raising his eyes to the squint, Booth felt a bitter taste in the back of his mouth.

"The only thing we can do."

He marched out of the lab, slamming open the double doors at the end of the corridor, Hodgins scurrying along behind.

"Which is?"

Booth glanced at the squint, his eyes brimming with barely suppressed rage.

"We've got to talk to Nate."

Hodgins stopped beside the lift, eyeing Booth warily as he punched the button.

"But Katie's the killer right?"

Booth nodded, tapping his foot impatiently as he waited for the doors to open.

"Nate knows something about this. I can _feel_ it."

Hodgins just sighed.

"No offence, man, but your whole gut instinct way of working hasn't really been, you know, _working_ that well recently."

With the glare he received from Booth, Hodgins just raised his hands in surrender as he stepped inside the lift.

"But hey, let's talk to Nate."

Booth punched the close button, the music grating on his last remaining nerve.

_Hodgins is right, my gut was wrong and now Temperance is out there somewhere paying the price…_

The doors opened and Booth marched out in to the corridor, his fists clenched tightly at his side.

_This is where they found the earring. This is where Katie grabbed her…_

Swallowing back the anger, he turned the corner and headed straight towards the interrogation room, kicking the door open. Nate stared up at him, obviously startled.

"Agent Booth, is everything ok?"

Unable to control himself and no longer caring about the possible consequences, Booth swept his mentor out of the chair and threw him across the room. Behind him, he could feel Hodgins growing uncomfortable but that just served to fuel his rage as he towered over his fellow agent.

"Where is she? Where did Katie take her?"

Nate's wide eyes slowly filled with comprehension.

"So you finally figured out it wasn't me, huh?"

Booth loomed in closer, not bothering to conceal the rage in his eyes.

"I said, where is she?"

Nate raised his hands in surrender, scuttling away from his former student as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"I don't know, Seeley."

He clambered to his feet as Booth approached, his air intimidating.

"You're trying to hide something from me and I swear to God, I'll beat it out of you if I have to. You have to know where she is!"

For the first time since his arrest, Nate looked genuinely sympathetic.

"I don't know, Seeley. I'm sorry but I honestly don't know where she is."

His last hope extinguished, Booth punched the wall, his anger barely masking his fear. Sighing, Nate took a tentative step forward.

"Let's think about this logically. Katie's been playing a game with you from the beginning, she wants you to challenge her. That's why she left you all the clues. Red herrings or not, she was giving you the chance to beat her. That way it would be all the more rewarding for her when she won."

Booth shook his head fervently.

"She's not going to win. I won't let that happen."

"So look at the clues, Seeley. Follow the damn evidence she's given you."

Blinking rapidly, Booth slid a hand in to his jacket pocket, pulling out the two evidence bags. Ignoring the pang of fear he felt seeing the earring, he instead turned his attention to the message on the card.

Placing it on the desk in front of him, he just stared at it, reading the words out loud as he hoped to find something he had previously missed.

"My dearest Seeley, stumbling through the darkness without a clue. Did you really think you could stop me, did my message not get through?"

_I'm getting it loud and clear now, you son of a bitch…_

"I promised you four to sort through, my dearest noble boy, and now I've finally captured my favourite little toy."

_Bones is the toy. What the hell is Katie doing to her? Oh God, Temperance…_

"So what exactly will you do, how can you win? I'm sad to say that you will fail before you even begin. You can not save all these souls, so now you know for whom the bell tolls."

_Temperance. The bell tolls for Temperance, like a death knell at a funeral._

He shook that image out of his head, trying to focus on the evidence in front of him. Suddenly, it dawned on him.

"The bell. Of course!"

Hodgins frowned.

"What bell?"

Seeley grabbed the card, shoving it back in his pocket as he raced for the door, Hodgins barely able to keep up.

"Above the court house in Hogan's Alley is a bell that rings on the hour, every hour. When that bell tolls, Katie will kill Bones."

He felt his heart pounding at the thought.

_She won't succeed this time, I won't let her._

Booth suddenly realised that Hodgins was no longer with him. Pausing to glance back over his shoulder, he saw the squint's eyes widen.

"The post office!"

Booth just blinked slowly.

"What?"

Hodgins marched over, his voice full of certainty.

"When Lappin attacked you and Doctor Brennan, it was in a disused sorting office, right? That was where she shot him, where he died?"

Booth nodded slowly.

"Yeah, so?"

"Isn't there a post office in Hogan's Alley too?"

Booth's eyes widened as he clapped a congratulatory hand on the squint's back, grabbing the cell phone off his belt.

"Agent Shepherd, get your men to Hogan's Alley and set up a perimeter around the postal office. We think that's where Doctor Brennan is. Hold in position till we get there."

He snapped the phone shut and charged down the glass corridors, stumbling through the darkness.

_I'm coming, Temperance. Just hold on, I'm coming._

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**A/N: Reviews are my oxygen, people, so come on, help me breathe. Wow, that was almost poetic! At which point I should say that it's 2:30am and I desperately need sleep. Catch you all tomorrow. We've hit the final straight...**


	16. Out Of Time

**A/N: Ok, just two more chapters or so to go and I get my life back. Wohoooooooo! Let me know what you think, please. The last few updates should be up this evening.**

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Temperance Brennan swallowed hard, trying to bite back the pain that throbbed through her head and shoulder. Sprawled on the concrete floor, she struggled to focus on Katie's slippers which were pacing back and forth through the dust.

Somewhere nearby, she heard a door slam again. A tiny flicker of hope now burning in her chest, Brennan struggled against the rope around her wrists and ankles, shuffling back against the wall so she could sit up.

Her eyes wide, she stared towards the open doorway, willing Booth to enter.

_Please Booth, where are you?_

Katie was staring down at her, obviously amused.

"You still think someone's going to come along and save you… Let me guess, you're just waiting on Booth, your favourite little white knight in FBI issued body armour?"

Brennan glared at her, not saying a word. Katie laughed bitterly, shaking her head as she stalked toward her victim.

"That's the thing about Seeley. He gives you that charming smile and everybody just melts. I know I did…"

Brennan ignored the knowing tone in Katie's voice, not wanting to hear about the history she shared with her partner.

Brennan felt her heart pounding in her chest as her eyes locked with Katie's. The profiler just stared at her.

"He's not coming for you, Temperance. He doesn't care."

Despite herself, Brennan was scared she might be right.

Katie turned away, rooting through a canvas bag in the corner of the room, mumbling to herself. Slowly, she straightened up and turned back to her captive, a slow smile spreading across her face as she stroked the gun lying on her palm.

"Gil's pistol… He was such a good shot. Such a good boy…"

Brennan couldn't keep the look of revulsion from her face as Katie's eyes glazed over, staring at memories long since past. Blinking rapidly, she turned her attention back to the anthropologist, creeping towards her with the gun at her side.

"I wish he'd seen who you really are before he died. Maybe that would have saved him… The screwed up kid abandoned by everyone. Did it never occur to you that the reason they all left was because they just couldn't stand to be around you?"

Brennan struggled to blink back the unwanted tears, her voice strained when she responded.

"No. My family loved me. They left to protect me and my brother."

_Of course I thought they hated me. How else does a scared little girl see the situation? I thought they left because they hated me._

Katie glared at her.

"How anyone can stand to be near you, the cold and heartless little bitch making money out of trashy books full of lies, making herself out to be some kind of hero. You're no hero. You never were. My brother though, _he _was a hero. He was innocent."

The bitter laughter escaped Brennan's throat before she could stop it.

"Gil Lappin _killed_ innocents. He was never one himself."

Infuriated, Katie rushed forwards, the pistol raised high above her head. Before Temperance ever had a chance to protect herself, the butt of the gun connected with her right cheekbone, jerking her head sharply to the left.

Her vision swimming and her mouth full of blood, Temperance felt the warmth of sleep creeping up on her. She knew that her body's response to the pain was to shut down, to make her unconscious, and she didn't want to fight it.

_Maybe I do deserve this. I took someone's life. Booth always said there was a cost when you kill someone and I guess this is my cost. Booth, where are you?_

Her body beginning to drift away, Brennan let out a long sigh as she thought of her partner.

_He's not coming._

Her eyes drooped close and her shoulders slumped forward.

She had given up fighting.

**BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB**

Booth and Hodgins charged down the barely lit road, finally reaching the start of Hogan's Alley. A small team of agents were huddled round the side of the first building, examining blueprints by torchlight.

Booth marched over.

"What've you got?"

Agent Shepherd straightened up, nodding gravely.

"Looks like you were right. The infra-red shows that there are two people in one of the post office classrooms, bang in the middle of the building where there's a load of renovation work going on. There's one figure on the floor and one who keeps moving, obviously the hostile. There's also a third person in a room three doors down, not moving but alive, probably just unconscious."

Booth nodded, slipping on the bullet proof vest that was offered to him as Shepherd cleared his throat slowly.

"Agent Booth, are we to assume that the individual on the floor in the main room is Doctor Brennan?"

He nodded, pulling his gun from his holster.

"Yeah, and we have seven minutes till the clock strikes. That's when Katie plans on killing her. I'll take alpha team round the front, you take beta round the back. I want radio silence till the package is secured and I want snipers on hand in case Doctor Harwood makes a run for it."

The agent spun back round to his team, making the arrangements, as Booth turned back to Hodgins. The scientist's eyes widened and he started shaking his head angrily.

"Don't you dare, Booth! You're not leaving me out here to just sit around and twiddle my thumbs. I'm coming with you."

Booth stared at him for a few moments, trying to make up his mind. Hodgins took a step closer, his jaw set.

"That's Doctor Brennan in there. I can't just…"

He swallowed hard, averting his eyes. Seeley just sighed heavily and threw a vest at the squint.

"Fine but you know, if you get shot, I'm not dealing with the wrath of Angela…"

Hodgins grinned as he slipped on the vest, following Booth silently to the head of the alley. The teams assembled around them and Hodgins begun to wonder if he really had made the right choice. Leaning forward, he tapped Booth on the shoulder.

"Er, do I get a gun?"

"No."

"It's just, I'm feeling a little like one of those ducks on a firing range..."

"No."

"Ok, fine, just wanted to check…"

Booth signalled to the second squad to move round the back as he moved forward silently, the adrenaline coursing through his veins. Pushing the front door to the fake post office open as quietly as he could, he stepped inside, his gun level as his eyes roamed the space for booby traps and hazards.

Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, he pushed forward, carefully making his way down the main corridor, his heart pounding.

_Come on, Temperance, hold on. I'm almost there. Just hold on._

Checking every classroom on the corridor, Booth knew he had to keep his calm even though the fear was starting to claw at his stomach.

_What if we're too late? What if Katie kills her before the bell tolls?_

Swallowing hard, Booth pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind, focusing on the job at hand instead. He continued down the corridor, carefully approaching another door. Pushing it open a little, he crouched beside the gap, trying to see inside.

The sight of feet lying unmoving on the floor made his heart jolt. Signalling to the two agents behind him, Booth glared at Hodgins to stay put. The scientist just nodded and watched as the group charged in to the room. A few moments late, Booth emerged, shaking his head. The two agents carefully carried Doctor Reynolds from the room, disappearing back down the corridor.

_Three doors down, Temperance is three doors down._

His weapon drawn, Booth practically sprinted the rest of the way, Hodgins hot on his heels.

**BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB**

Katie slapped Brennan hard across the face, shaking her awake.

"Don't you dare quit on me, bitch! I'm not done with you!"

Temperance groaned, blinking rapidly as her whole body screamed with pain. Raising her head, she did her best to swallow back the tears and hide the fear that was threatening to control her.

Katie opened her mouth to say something but then paused, a frown creasing her features. Brennan watched as she crossed the room quietly, slowly poking her head through the sheets of plastic as she looked out the door. Satisfied that they were alone, she stalked back across the room, shaking her head.

"We don't have much time… Gotta finish soon, not much time."

Her gaze snapped back on to Brennan as she cocked her head to one side, a sneer pulling at her mouth.

"Oh dear, poor Temperance... There's no-one to save you now, is there? All alone, they've all deserted you. Nobody wants a killer like you."

Brennan swallowed hard, trying to buy herself time.

"You won't get away with this, Katie. They'll track you down."

The blonde laughed heartily.

"There's no such person as Katie Harwood. My name, my _real_ name, is Anne Lappin. And why would they even suspect little old me? You saw to that when you found me hanging in the woods. I'm just another victim. You though, you snapped. I had to shoot you, I had to stop you to save myself. At least, that's what they're going to think when I'm finished."

She crouched down in front of Brennan, a strange glint in her eyes.

"Just think how easily Booth will fall in to my arms again once you're gone… He doesn't care about you, Doctor Brennan, he never did. That's why he's not here. He doesn't love you, he doesn't care. Nobody does."

She got to her feet and took a step back, pointing the gun directly at Brennan.

"_The will of the Lord be done_ - Acts 21:14."

Katie cocked the weapon, leaning forward slightly as Brennan's eyes widened, the fear paralysing her. Somewhere in the distance, a bell rang out the hour. Katie's smile almost stretched from ear to ear.

"Time's up."

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**A/N: Dun dun derrrrrrrrrrrrr! Don't worry, the next chapter should be up and running in about an hour or so. Please review and let me know what you think cos I'm really not a fan of this chapter. It's all going a bit wrong for me at the mo... Lack of sleep doesn't become me obviously...**


	17. Aftermath

**A/N: Almost there kiddies. Don't forget, reviews are my oxygen...

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**

Booth felt his boot skid across the concrete, heard the squeak of rubber and felt his heart drop.

_Please God, don't let her have heard that…_

He grabbed the back of Hodgins' vest and yanked him through an open doorway. Holding his breath, he heard faint footsteps getting closer. There was a long pause, the silence deafening in his ears, and then those footsteps went away.

Booth sighed heavily, the relief rushing through him. He nodded at Hodgins and raised his gun, moving back out in to the corridor slowly and carefully.

Silently, he moved forward, his ears straining to hear what the familiar voice was saying. There had been a time when he clung to every word that fell from those lips. Now each word filled him with disgust.

He reached the open door and flattened himself against the wall, desperately trying to see what was going on behind the plastic sheeting that waved slightly in the breeze. He could hear Katie clear as day, her angry tone carrying down the corridor.

"Oh dear, poor Temperance... There's no-one to save you now, is there? All alone, they've all deserted you. Nobody wants a killer like you."

Booth's grip tightened round his gun as he shuffled closer to the door.

_Don't listen to her, Bones, don't believe a word she says._

"You won't get away with this, Katie. They'll track you down."

The sound of his partner's voice brought a tight smile to his lips, though her strained words worried him. He knew that she was struggling to keep it together. He took another step along, slowly sticking his head carefully round the doorframe as Katie's laughter sent a shiver down his spine.

"There's no such person as Katie Harwood. My name, my _real_ name, is Anne Lappin. And why would they even suspect little old me? You saw to that when you found me hanging in the woods. I'm just another victim. You though, you snapped. I had to shoot you, I had to stop you to save myself. At least, that's what they're going to think when I'm finished."

Booth reached out, slowly moving the plastic sheeting aside as carefully as he could to prevent it making a noise as Katie just kept on talking.

"Just think how easily Booth will fall in to my arms again when you're gone… He doesn't care about you, Doctor Brennan, he never did. That's why he's not here. He doesn't love you, he doesn't care. Nobody does."

He froze at those words, his heart pounding.

_Don't listen to her Bones. I'm here, I'm coming._

He slipped through the gap in the plastic sheeting silently, his gun trained on the back of the blonde head as she stood up straight.

"_The will of the Lord be done_ - Acts 21:14."

Booth swallowed hard, trying to control the anger that burned within him at the abuse of his faith, at the abuse of his partner. A glint of metal caught his eye and he saw the gun in the profiler's hand. Moving forward quickly, he tried to ignore the fear that came with the ominous sound of the weapon being cocked.

Outside, the bell began to toll and Booth felt his heart skip a beat as Katie directed the gun right between his partner's wide eyes.

"Time's up."

Behind him, the plastic sheeting rustled, signalling Hodgins entry in to the room. Katie spun round, her eyes narrowed at Booth as she kept the gun trained on the bound and beaten Brennan.

She grinned at him, her eyes glinting in the darkness. Booth swallowed hard. He'd known this woman for years but right now, he didn't even recognise her. He kept his weapon pointed right at Katie's forehead, resisting the overwhelming urge to look at Brennan, to check that she was ok.

"You know I'll kill you before you could ever pull the trigger."

Katie laughed, the gun wobbling in her hand.

"Are you sure you want to test that theory, baby?"

Booth said nothing as she smiled at him. They just stood there, staring and sizing each other up. Eventually, Katie smiled and sighed heavily.

"Oh my poor Seeley. You can't do it, can you? All those years, all those memories, you can't hurt me. You could never kill me. You're not like her, you're not a murderer."

Booth swallowed hard.

"She didn't _murder _anyone. She shot him to protect me, that's all. Your brother was the bad guy in all of this."

Anger flared in Katie's eyes, her grip tightening on the gun and turning her knuckles white.

"No, she's a killer. You can't change that Seeley, no matter how much you want to. I deserve my revenge. An eye for an eye, I'll get my pound of flesh. And you can't stop me. You know you can't kill me."

He shook his head slowly.

"No, I probably can't."

She smiled again, sending another shiver down Booth's spine.

"That's my boy."

Katie turned her gaze back to Temperance and Booth took his chance, squeezing the trigger as he fired a single round through Katie's hand. The gun flew out of her grasp as she fell to her knees, clutching her bleeding arm to her chest as she screamed. Booth kept the gun trained on her as he stepped forward, his eyes glinting through the darkness.

"Just because I can't kill you, it doesn't mean I can't shoot you."

At the sound of gunfire, the other agents swarmed the room, immediately converging on Katie as Booth rushed to Brennan's side, untying her arms and ankles before wrapping his arms tightly around his partner. She sobbed tears of relief into his shoulder as they watched the agents drag Katie away kicking and screaming.

Booth held his partner tight to his chest, smoothing down her hair as he rocked her gently from side to side, his voice quiet amidst the chaos of the federal agents.

"What she said, Temperance, none of that is true. None of it."

She raised her eyes to his, the panic slowly subsiding.

"I know, Booth. You came for me. You always do."

He smiled at her as reassuringly as he could and she nodded slowly, their faces now just inches apart. Booth cupped her face in his hand, gently stroking her cheek with his thumb. She offered up a weak smile through her pain and he felt his heart skip a beat.

Tangled up together on the dusty concrete floor, Booth lost himself in his partner's gaze. All his fears, all his pain, lost in that moment, lost in her eyes. Her lips parted slightly as she stared back at him, her cheeks flushing slightly red at the intenseness of their shared gaze. No-one came close, no-one disturbed them, because as far as the partners were concerned, there was no-one else in the world but them.

Booth swallowed hard, his heart pounding in his ears.

_This is it, this is my moment. This is my chance to tell her how I really feel._

He leaned in closer, preparing to speak when he saw a single tear leaving a trail through the dirt on her face. He wiped it away, his heart sinking.

_I can't do it, not now. She's hurt and confused. I'd be taking advantage. I can't do that to her._

He pulled her closer, kissing her on the forehead as he wrapped his arms around her again, holding her tight and not wanting to ever let her go again.

_There'll be other days, other moments. One day I'll be able to tell her._

_One day._

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Booth had torn himself away from Brennan's bedside in the hospital wing, explaining there was something he had to do. Even with all of her team around her, he'd felt her eyes on his back as he left, begging him to come back to her. And he would. Just not yet.

He marched down the corridors and paused outside the interrogation room, swallowing hard. With a steadying breath, he stepped inside.

Nate was sat at the table, signing the reams of paperwork that came with every arrest, another agent watching over him. Booth cleared his throat, nodding to his counterpart.

"Could you give us a minute?"

The agent nodded back and left silently, closing the door behind him. Booth walked slowly to the other side of the desk, sitting in the vacant chair. He locked eyes with his mentor. Nate just smiled.

"How's Temperance coping? I heard you got to her in time. Nicely done."

Booth could barely keep the contempt out of his voice when he replied.

"I know you had something to do with this."

Nate blinked slowly, surprised at the response.

"Is that so… Where's your evidence, Agent Booth? Where's your proof?"

"I don't need proof. I _know_."

Nate laughed heartily, shaking his head as he got to his feet.

"Funny, I think a jury would need a little more than that. As far as the authorities are concerned, you rightfully took me in to custody because you had no reason to suspect that Doctor Harwood was cooking up the evidence against me, which means I'm free to go."

Booth just stared at him as he crossed the interrogation room, angered at the fact that he couldn't stop him, that he couldn't prove what he knew was true. Nate paused in the doorway, glancing back over his shoulder.

"You're still just a student, Seeley. You can't beat me, you can't win. You never will."

He disappeared down the corridor and Booth could do nothing but watch him go.

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Temperance struggled with her bags, her arm hanging uselessly in the sling. Booth stepped forward, taking her luggage with a smile and placed it in the boot of the SUV.

She looked around the group, all chattering happily amongst themselves, obviously relieved to finally be leaving Quantico. And Brennan was no different. She couldn't wait to be back in the comforting confines of her lab and as far away from Quantico as she could manage.

Someone cleared their throat behind her and she turned to find Doctor Reynolds standing there, essentially being propped up by his son. She smiled heartily as she approached them.

"I'm glad to see that you're ok, Doctor Reynolds."

"Same to you, Doctor Brennan. And I must extend my deepest sympathies for what happened here. No-one should have to go through what you did."

She offered up a grim smile as she shook his hand in farewell.

"Thank you for all your help, Doctor Reynolds."

She smiled at his son, who blushed bright red in return as he stammered at her.

"Th-th-thank you for signing my book, D-D-Doctor Brennan."

"It was my pleasure."

She shook his hand and returned to the group, gingerly clambering in to the front seat of the SUV. Booth watched her with a concerned eye.

"You alright there, Bones? Need a hand?"

She glared at him good naturedly.

"You don't need to mother me, Booth. I'm fine."

He flashed her his charm smile as he slipped the keys in the ignition, glancing in the rear view mirror to look at the rest of the team.

"Everybody set?"

Angela sighed happily.

"Just get us out of here, Booth."

He grinned as he started the engine, pulling away from the main building and back down the hill. Brennan smiled slightly as she stared out the window.

_And to think I ever doubted that he'd come. He's my partner. He's always there._

Zach and Hodgins' bickering in the back seat pulled her from her thoughts. Glancing at Booth, she expected to find him glaring or about to shout at the terrible twosome. Instead, he just smiled back at her, taking her home.

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Cam watched Doctor Brennan's rag-tag bunch of scientists stroll back in to the lab. They looked like hell. She'd been informed of the dead body they'd found in the lecture hall at Quantico and various agents had kept her up to date with the progress of the investigation, including the moment Doctor Brennan herself had disappeared.

But Booth hadn't rung her, not once.

She watched from her office window as the group dispersed, leaving just Booth and Brennan on the forensic platform. They were talking animatedly despite the obvious exhaustion in their movements. She watched the way Booth looked at his partner and the way she stared back.

_He's never looked at me like that. Not once._

As they wandered off towards her office, Cam just watched them go.

_They're even closer now, closer than he and I ever were._

Closing the blinds that hung across the window, Cam sighed heavily.

She'd lost him. And she knew this time, he was never coming back to her.


	18. Partners

**A/N: And now, the end is near, and so I face, the final curtain…. This is it folks, the end of the story. The end of an era, if you will. Well, the end of a very long week... In case you can't tell, yes, I am planning on a sequel. Please please please, review this and submit any ideas you may have for the next story. I'm intrigued to see what you all think and, to be honest, I need all the ideas I can get right now!**

**Thank you to everyone who was so supportive throughout this story, especially Mariah, Bella-mi-amore, RockyBaby and Lynn. My biggest thanks as always goes to Ava, my pep-squad-providing cheerleading muse. Love ya loads like chocolate toads!**

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It was over a week since Doctor Temperance Brennan had returned from Quantico and she was finally beginning to feel normal again. Her wounds had begun to heal, both physically and emotionally with a little help from Booth. He was always taking care of her.

_Angela called him my knight in FBI body armour. She wasn't wrong._

Sitting at her desk, the jazz music on her computer flowing over her soothingly, she absently stroked the little toy pig Booth had given her. Smiling to herself, she closed her eyes and let herself drift away with the music.

_There'd been a moment, I can't deny that. Sitting on the floor in that Quantico classroom, I'd felt that moment pass. I wish I'd grabbed it. I wish he wasn't so damn noble all the time._

A gentle knock on the door brought her crashing back to reality.

Booth stood in the doorway, smiling at her though there was concern in his eyes. She smiled back, waving him inside. He sauntered in, a pile of post balanced on top of a thick FBI file. Dropping in to the chair opposite her, he smiled as she placed Jasper the pig back on her desk, his heart warming at the sight of it.

He passed the letters across to her.

"Apparently I'm your new messenger boy."

She smiled as she flicked through the post, eyeing him questioningly.

"What's going on?"

He flashed her his charm smile.

"We've got a case. There was a large gas explosion just outside of the city and we need you to identify what's left of the bodies."

Brennan didn't hear him as she stared down at the crisp white envelope on her desk, the familiar handwriting glaring up at her as she tore it open. Booth watched her with a frown, crossing in front of his partner and waving a hand in front of her face.

"Come on, Bones. Where's the enthusiasm? I just handed you a giant human jigsaw puzzle."

She handed him the postcard she'd pulled from the envelope, a picturesque view of Wellington, New Zealand. He raised an eyebrow as he turned it over, his heart skipping a beat at the familiar writing.

_My dearest Temperance,_

_"We are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down but not destroyed." - II Corinthians 4:8-9_

_Wish you were here,  
Always yours,_

_Nate_

Booth looked back up at her, his eyes wide.

"Temperance…"

She just shook her head, slipping on her jacket as she got to her feet.

"I'm fine, Booth, really. Right now, we've got a case to work."

He followed her out of the office, watching the way she held her head high as she walked and felt an immense surge of pride.

_That's my girl._

_That's the woman I love._

His hand on the small of her back, Temperance felt the ball of nerves in her stomach slowly start to unravel.

_So what if Nate might come back? I've got Booth. There's nothing else in the world more important than that._

Smiles on both their faces, they left the Jeffersonian side by side. They were partners. Nothing would ever change that.

Nothing.

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**A/N: I'm now off to take a well-earned break but I plan to start on the sequel in the not-too-distant future, God help me... Any suggestions or comments on this, please let me know. Thank you for reading. Hope it wasn't too crappy for you!**


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